DramaWesternAdventure

News of the World

- Find where you belong.

A Texan traveling across the wild West bringing the news of the world to local townspeople, agrees to help rescue a young girl who was kidnapped.

Release Date : 2020-12-25

Language :EnglishGerman

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : PlaytonePretty PicturesUniversal PicturesPerfect World Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd

Original Name : Tom Hanks

Gender : Male

Character Name : Johanna Leonberger

Original Name : Helena Zengel

Gender : Female

Character Name : Almay

Original Name : Michael Angelo Covino

Gender : Male

Character Name : Simon Boudlin

Original Name : Ray McKinnon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doris Boudlin

Original Name : Mare Winningham

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Gannett

Original Name : Elizabeth Marvel

Gender : Female

Character Name : John Calley

Original Name : Fred Hechinger

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Branholme

Original Name : Bill Camp

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Farley

Original Name : Thomas Francis Murphy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Benjamin Farley

Original Name : Gabriel Ebert

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wilhelm Leonberger

Original Name : Neil Sandilands

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anna Leonberger

Original Name : Winsome Brown

Gender : Female

Character Name : Charles Edgefield

Original Name : Chukwudi Iwuji

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Man Durand

Original Name : Christopher Hagen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dallas Federal Officer #1

Original Name : Stafford Douglas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Female Townsfolk

Original Name : Michelle Campbell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Tom Farley

Original Name : Clint Obenchain

Gender : Male

Character Name : Citizen of Red River

Original Name : J. Nathan Simmons

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cavalry Rider

Original Name : Travis Johnson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Union Duty Officer

Original Name : Andy Kastelic

Gender : Male

Character Name : Red River Heckler

Original Name : Jeffrey Ware

Gender : Male

Character Name : Red River Heckler

Original Name : Chris Bylsma

Gender : Male

Character Name : Red River Heckler

Original Name : Justin Tade

Gender : Male

Character Name : Federal Soldier

Original Name : Darrin Giossi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Progressive Speaker

Original Name : Brenden Wedner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Almay's Man

Original Name : Clay James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Almay's Man

Original Name : Cash Lilley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dallas Federal Soldier

Original Name : Jared Berry

Gender : Male

Character Name : German Rider

Original Name : Truman Hanks

Gender : Male

Character Name : San Antonian

Original Name : Michael Toby Sanchez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Durand Fight Townsperson

Original Name : Shawn Howell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Outlaw, Vaquero (uncredited)

Original Name : Alexander Alayon Jr.

Gender : Male

Reviews

garethmb

@garethmb

2021-06-23

Tom Hanks and Director Paul Greengrass have combined to create a truly moving and memorable western which is one of the best films of 2020. Hanks stars as Captain Kidd; a former Confederate Captain making his way in occupied Texas in the post-Civil-War era. Kidd travels from town to town reading various newspaper stories of interest to gathered locals who are too busy or unable to read the news and look forward to his lively interpretations of news of interest on a local and national level. On his way to his next location; Kidd comes upon a fair skinned blonde girl wearing Native American clothing and speaking a tribal dialect he does not understand. The fact that their cart has been overturned and a lone male is hanging from a tree leads Kidd to uncover the tragic history of the child. According to documents he discovers in the wreck; she was taken during a raid and her parents and sibling killed. The tribe that raised her was subsequently killed leaving her an orphan twice over. As such; the girl named Johanna (Helena Zengel); is to be taken to a nearby town and remanded to a local agency for transportation to an Aunt and her husband over 600 miles away. Kidd sees it as his duty to take her to the nearby town which is confirmed by some passing Union soldiers who occupy the area during the Reconstruction era much to the scorn of the locals who are stinging from losing the Civil War. Things do not go as planned as Kid is told that the authority in charge of such cases is away for three months so he must either wait or deliver the girl himself. Thanks to the help of a former soldier under his command, Kidd sets out on the road to Dallas and then to the very dangerous areas beyond as he attempts to take Johanna to safety. Along the way the two will face danger, challenges, and bond on a very memorable journey. Hanks is very solid in the role and his character is compassionate yet complex. There is a reason for his generosity and he attempts to make peace with the pain and regret in his life by trying to do what is right and coming to terms with what has plagued him. The film moves at a steady pace and does not have many extended action sequences but when action does arrive it is central to the story and never seems gratuitous. Zengel is a great pairing with Hanks as the young German actress will be one to watch going forward. She is able to convey so much without an abundance of lines and you can clearly see how well she and Hanks clicked. The visuals of the film are scenic as the audience really gets a look at the rugged beauty of the land and life during this era. It was fascinating to see what Dallas and San Antonio looked like in the 1860s after knowing them as the modern cities that they are today. There is much to like about the film and I am eagerly putting “News of the World” on my best of 2020 list and I truly hope this film gets the recognition it deserves come awards time as it is truly a wonderful and inspiring film that is cinema at its finest. 4.5 stars out of 5

251Family

@251Family

2021-06-23

One of the MOST boring attempts at making a Western by a Top shelf actor to date.. Hollywood really needs to come to grips with fact they NO longer have what it takes to make these kind of films...and havnt for a few years now... Now continue on with the worlds dieing films, or Zombies, or female assassins, or better yet the ANTIFA genre of destroying neighborhoods and hating this country... The whole anti white male genre is a real boomer... but they need to stay away from Westerns... seriously.. For starters... your fresh out of masculine leading men that will work on a crappy script.... Ya this is one genre that is lost to the arts

Peter McGinn

@narrator56

2021-06-23

This doesn’t happen very often, but I actually read their book this movie was based on. I enjoy both. There were a couple of changes I noticed, but I wasn’t offended by them. With one it seemed they had Captain Kidd escape a jam with a speech rather than an explosion, and it worked for me. This is a quirky western and, as such, often ridiculed by western movie fans. It isn’t a classic in my book, but if it came on while I was eating (we multi-task by combining meals with movies), I wouldn’t feel the need to lean down to pick the controller up off the floor to change channels. I would let it run. I wasn’t surprised to see a few racist reviews on IMDB, but one comment on this website raised my eyebrows. Signs of the times, I guess.