News of the World
Universal
PG-13                    158 min
I’ve mentioned this before and I’m really not taking a shot at the guy but I’m not a huge Tom Hanks fan. No doubt if he is in a role that calls for his specialized personality, he can knock it out of the park but he just can’t transform into a completely new character Imo. Here in NEWS OF THE WORLD the role fits Hanks personality pretty well. Still while the premise is clever the story isn’t all that intriguing. This is a variation on a certain genre in which the main character is bound to accompany a very different personality across a long distance and the two will Reconcile their differences and  bond before the end of the journey. I’m thinking MIDNIGHT RUN or THE LAST DETAIL. The premise is fresh Hanks is Captain Kidd yes really (not that one,) a retired Union officer who earns his living going from town to town and reading newspaper clippings to the Great unwashed. Along the way he comes across Johanna (Helena Zengel) a strange little girl with an even stranger story. Apparently her German settler family was killed and she was taken by Indians who were eventually killed by someone else. The good Captain has no other choice than to take her across country and try to get her to some relatives out west. Not only is she very hard to get along with but they have to battle their way through various and Sundry evil white people; child molesters and racists and common criminals along the way. 
She will eventually  come to an understanding with the captain as the movie drags along but there just doesn’t seem to be much chemistry between the two. I don’t think it should have taken much for the writers to add a little spice to this trek and I’m not sure  they didn’t just assumed Hank’s presence would be enough to carry the film but their relationship never really does catch fire even though the ending is a decent  and satisfy wrap-up.
C
WSS

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