Movie Review: News of the World

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

As a fan of westerns I am always wishing that more westerns would be made today. So when a top notch western movie comes out in today's time, I am overjoyed. News of the World is that movie. 

This film takes a simple storyline that has been in movies since the silent era (most famously Charlie Chaplin's The Kid (1921)) and turns it into something that feels new and refreshing. This is the story of an adult and a kid who are both outsiders who meet and form a lasting bond that changes them both. Of course the most important ingredient in a film like this is that we completely believe the relationship between the two main characters. Luckily the film successeds incredibly well at this (something made all the more impressive once you consider that the two characters don't speak the same language). If I were asked to pinpoint the exact moment in which these two became so close, I could not. This is because like real life friendships (I don't think I could pinpoint when me and a close friend became friends), it happens so gradually and naturally that you just completely believe it. When things seem to just naturally happen and yet are fully believable you know you are watching great storytelling. Of course this is enhanced by the great performances of Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel. Tom Hanks of course is an actor of the highest quality and never fails to give a great performance. Helena Zengel however fully hold her own with Tom Hanks and provides this movie with its most powerfully moments. This movie also heavily benefits from excellent direction by Paul Greengrass. Greengrass knows that in a movie like this, the slow and quiet scenes are just as important as any big action scene. Because of this he never rushes a single scene, but instead allows the film to take all the time it needs. This allows us to not only enjoy the movie but get completely absorbed in it. It is often in scenes that allow us to stop and take a moment with the characters and the atmosphere that movies work their greatest magic and that is certainly true here. Yet when this film does move into its action scenes it handles them expertly (then again what else so you except from a man who directed 3 Jason Borne movies). The transitions between the slow scenes and the action scenes never feel abrupt or jarring but instead feel completely natural. 

This is a top notch western all the way and if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.