Five years after the Civil War, Hanks plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a gray veteran who now makes a living traveling from town to town and entertaining crowds by reading and summarizing newspaper articles highlighting stories from around the world .
Recognizing that his audience lacks the time or ability, consider him an early news aggregator, selected from a rich tradition of storytelling. Kidd presents it as a way to “ escape our troubles, ” although ongoing divisions and psychological wounds from the war – including his own – don’t linger far below the surface.
In the strongest example, Kidd practices in an encampment where the business tycoon who presides over the place wants him to lie to his audience to keep them more pliable. Think “fake news”, just without the digital megaphone.
If that sounds a little awkward as the US looks 150 years later, it’s no coincidence. Greengrass (from “United 93” and the Jason Bourne movies, who previously directed Hanks in “Captain Phillips”) has a history of slipping social and political commentary into his movies.
However, Kidd is unprepared when he finds Johanna (Helena Zengel), an orphaned young immigrant child raised by the Kiowa who only speaks their language. Attempts to enlist the help of the military to find her a home prove futile, and in that moment he takes it upon himself to lead Johanna back to her next of kin, unsure of how she will be received.
Adapted from Paulette Jiles’ novel, their journey moves at an unhurried pace, along an almost lawless path in which they encounter kindness and cruelty – although the latter abounds, including those who would exploit the child for their own ends.
For fans of the genre, that old-world feel is something of a treat. That said, the promotional campaign isn’t doing the movie any favors – especially for those who associate Greengrass with kinetic action scenes – as those who expect the kind of adrenaline rush the ads suggest tend to be let down, with the exception of one or two two sequences. .
All in all, “News of the World” is a solid, but not spectacular film, presenting a familiar story against an interesting historical background. It just doesn’t provide much-needed escape from their troubles to a contemporary audience that promises Kidd to his crowd.
“News of the World” premieres December 25 in select theaters. It’s rated PG-13.