I've been slightly miffed at Tom Hanks because of the two recent movies of his that were only on Amazon Prime or Apple Plus or HBOhmygosh. I mean...how rude! I got over it, though, when I was able to use a free rental code at Redbox to watch News of the World last night.
Directed by the same guy that did the Bourne trilogy and Captain Phillips, News is the story of a war-weary widower wending his way across Texas reading the news to the plain folks of the plains at ten cents a seat. He ends up accepting the task of taking a girl, who was being raised by the tribe of Native Americans (accurately-for-the-time-period, called Indians) who had killed her parents, to her only known relatives.
Hanks is flawless, as always, but the big news is Helena Zengel, who embodies the young girl with energy and pathos. The relationship between Johanna and Captain Kidd that slowly develops over the course of their travels feels real and redemptive...for both of them.
And the cool thing was watching a couple "making of" special features afterward and learning that not only did the relationship feel real to this audience member, but it WAS real for the actors.
Being a semi-fan of Westerns, News of the World did not disappoint. It had a shootout and a standoff and a runaway buckboard and all the beautiful vistas and campfires a person could ever want.
Both my thumbs are up. Thanks, Redbox!
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