News of the World

I was never much of a fan of Westerns until I saw a remake of The Magnificent Seven a few years ago and discovered a newfound affinity for the genre.  This is why I was really excited to see News of the World yesterday and, since it is an old fashioned Western where a damaged protagonist finds redemption, I absolutely loved it!  After the Civil War, former Confederate Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) travels from town to town reading the news to people who don't have the time to read it themselves.  He tempers the sometimes difficult news about Reconstruction with kindness and compassion but he is clearly tormented by all that he has seen and done in the war.  While traveling through Texas, he comes across a young girl (Helena Zengel) who was taken and raised by the Kiowa people after her family was massacred.  He learns that her name is Johanna Leonberger and that a Black scout for the Bureau of Indian Affairs was taking her to relatives in the town of Castroville but he was lynched on the way and she is on her own.  Despite the fact that the route is a treacherous one, Kidd decides to take her to Castroville himself.  They have a series of misadventures on the trail where they come to rely on each other for survival and eventually help each other confront the demons of the past.  This movie is incredibly beautiful to look at with an equally beautiful message about different people (and a nation) coming together to heal.  Director Paul Greengrass, known primarily for explosive action and frenetic hand-held camera work, is a bit more restrained here but there are still some thrilling and suspenseful action sequences such as a shoot-out in a canyon, a riot instigated by one of Kidd's readings, a runaway horse, and a terrifying windstorm.  Greengrass also imbues many scenes with a poignancy that is subdued but no less effective, particularly when Johanna visits the site of her family's massacre and when Kidd returns to his home and memories in San Antonio.  Hanks, who excels at playing these noble everyman roles (I've heard him referred to as the Jimmy Stewart of our time), gives a highly nuanced performance that is quite affecting and newcomer Zengel holds her own with the veteran actor.  The swelling score by James Newton Howard is incredibly atmospheric and the authentic production design places the audience right in the middle of the chaos of Reconstruction.  This contemplative character study is one of my favorites this year and I highly recommend it!