REVIEW: NEWS OF THE WORLD

 

4/5

We Will Rock You.

118 Mins. Starring: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Fred Hechinger, Neil Sandilands, Mare Winningham, Ray McKinnon, Elizabeth Marvel, Thomas Francis Murphy & Bill Camp. Director: Paul Greengrass. 

Read all about it. The 'News Of The World' isn't just the name of a terrible tabloid from Great Britain, or an amazing album from Queen (one so Iron Giant big it scared the s### out of Stewie on 'Family Guy'). It's also the name of a terrific Tom Hanks movie, fresh off the spurs of his subtle submarine submerged 'Greyhound' voyage from the middle of last year. Reuniting with 'Captain Phillips' director Paul Greengrass on another journey of struggle and sacrifice after Hanks was stagecoach robbed of even an Oscar nomination for that true story. Now giddying up and hitching new terrian in his first Western, the 'Forrest Gump' and 'Bridge Of Spies' actor who has played everyone from Mr. Rogers to a toy gives us even one of his best yet like the time he went crooked for the first time on his 'Road To Perdition'. There was the golden era 'Big' silly fun of the 80's when a ''Burbs' electric shocked Hanks and hair took on volcanoes and eruptions of slobber called Hooch. The dominant 90's of 'Saving Private Ryan', 'The Green Mile' and 'Apollo 13' were the only actor that was as big as him was his 'Philadelphia' co-star Denzel Washington, holding a bottle of champagne to toast victory together. It was a good year. And then there was the new millennium of older, realer heroes who saved like the 'Miracle On The Hudson' of 'Sully' with Clint Eastwood and of course 'Phillips' with Greengrass. Now in what may be the fine wine years of a more subtle and sombre Tom, following his 'Greyhound' captaincy in the same channel, everyone's favourite cap who doesn't also own a cable knit sweater, but could still do this all day teams up with Paul to deliver the 'News'. Just like a Kevin Costner 'Postman' across country as 'The Post' editor doesn't write the news, but reads it. All with Bridges and Cohen career remaking 'True Grit'. Put this with the modern Western greats like a Fassbender 'Slow West', a Bale-full of 'Hostiles', or everything Tommy Lee Jones and Ethan Hawke do under a fedora...not to mention Kurt Russell and Quentin Tarantino. These are the champions. 

On the horseback of a year were our only reaction is the meme made out of Tom Hanks' expression to Ricky Gervais' hilarious Golden Globes monologue, everyone's favourite American Dad (except those trying to cancel his career with bulls### rumor) gives us a story we've all been waiting for him to read. Just like his character who reads the headlines from all the papers to all the towns (except thankfully the newspaper of this film title). In another amazing, subtle showing you'll see through the message sent of the townsfolk's terrified and concerned reaction to "just", "97 souls" losing their life to meningitis in Houston...now if that's a problem, how can some say there is not one with this virus now? This message wrote doesn't need a mask...but you do. Nothing covers up the Texan take on the freedom of slaves and their right to vote either. Showing again that ignorance may think it can beat inspiration, but Black Lives that matter like they always did can trump Presidents like the twice over impeached one when real leaders set them free. This address from Hanks may not be a Gettysburg one, or a Spielberg 'Lincoln' with Daniel Day-Lewis, but it shows that so many stories deserved to be told. Especially if the one delivering them is worthy of your attention. Based on Paulette Jiles nuanced novel of the same name, who better to book than Hanks and Paul Greengrass (the man who gave 'Bourne' AND Matt Damon new life)? Still in his Springsteen years it seems Hanks was born to ride. With buckshot and rocksalt and pepper in his beard like he's been 'Cast Away' across the territory, this civil war veteran character Captain Jeffersons Kyle Kidd heading back to The Alamo of San Antonio like 'The Admiral', David Robinson is as nuanced as what's hiding behind his mild manners like Greengrass' traditional directing themes. But catch him if you can (or want) in the crosshairs and he'll bring the cavalry with him for your crossfire. Or was that "hell" like Kurt Russell's Wyatt said Huckleberry? One scene between him and a couple of coins, caught between a rock and a bandit place echoes both the boulders of 'True Grit' and the levelling blunderbuss of Vincent D'Onofrio's 'The Kid' starring Dane DeHaan as Billy and Ethan Hawke again as Pat Garrett in one of the most underrated new Western gems of the modern age. Being rewoke like a rooster. "Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!" 

'True Grit (2009)', '3:10 To Yuma' (2007), 'Hostiles', 'Slow West', 'The Homesman', 'The Three Burials Of Melquiadis Estrada', 'The Kid', 'In A Valley Of Violence', 'Django Unchained', 'The Hateful 8', 'Bone Tomahawk', 'Tombstone', 'The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford', 'Dances With Wolves' and of course 'Unforgiven'. Not to mention those fellow Netflix Cohen ballads of 'Buster Scruggs'. Tape the 'News Of The World' with the rest of these classic clippings making headlines for the scrapbook of modern westerns which are also amongst the greatest of all time like Butch Cassidy, sundance kids, good ones, bad ones...and of course, ugly ones. A kindly hero in Fred Hechinger. The handlebar Neil Sandilands, a mild mothering Mare Winningham, a raw Ray McKinnon, a last name Elizabeth Marvel, a whiskey drunk, brutal and brilliant Thomas Francis Murphy and the always reliable and great Bill Camp setting up shop. There's a saloon of character actors here. But nothing tops Tom and the influence of his sobering and grieving restrained passion and the way he reads the news by lamplight with bedtime story comfort. Except that is, the acting talent we're introduced to here. One who comes alive of age and stage like Hailee Steinfeld in 'True Grit', who 12 years later now has swapped buckshot for the bows of shooting arrows as she aims for pops target as the daughter of Marvel and Jeremy Renner's 'Hawkeye' for your Disney + in this closed cinema battle of the crossing of the streams. Helena Zengel looks like she could be the sister of the girl who dances in Sia videos. But the Berlin born Zengel is her own star that shines without so much as a word in introduction. Communicating so much clearer with what the eyes of her already weary soul says, even more so than the screams of trauma in post. Setting compelling chemistry like the psudeo-father/daughter 'GirlDad' relationship in George Clooney's Netflix 'Midnight Sky', or the Jean Reno and Natalie Portman 'Leon' outlaw one on a 'Professional' level. This girls the charm in these melancholy blues. Spreading her wings from the all dead, all dead, fight inside, to a sheer heart attack of a collapsing wagon train like rockslide, or galloping sandstorm similair to the ice one for Clooney under the space of a parallel sky at midnight. Even in a time we're Netflix has become our best friend like the one we used to chill with, Greengrass, Hanks and the the next generation Z of Zengel make 'News' worthy. Thankfully the News Of The World newspaper isn't around anymore. Let's hope though in time stories like this one will still exist in the world's print to the word. Now that would be some good news. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Further Filming: 'True Grit', 'The Postman', 'Greyhound'.