News of the World (2020)

My Review

Tom Hanks stars as a Civil War veteran who goes from town to town reading newspaper stories to people in “News of the World.” He comes across an orphan girl and helps her to search for her family, with the compelling drama proceeding from there. This western movie was expertly directed by Paul Greengrass (“Captain Phillips” 2013), who co-wrote the screenplay with Luke Davies. He instilled the film with superior production values, outstanding character development, good writing, and memorable performances.

Young German actress Helena Zengel plays the orphan girl and has great chemistry with Tom Hanks. They are in most scenes together. Co-stars include Mare Winningham, Michael Covino, Fred Hechinger, Thomas Francis Murphy, Ray McKinnon, Bill Camp, Gabriel Ebert, and Elizabeth Marvel. The watchable “News of the World” underperformed at the box office for Perfect World Pictures, The Playtone Company, Pretty Pictures, and Universal Pictures.

The film received four Oscar nods including Best Cinematography (Dariusz Wolski), Best Original Score (James Newton Howard), Best Production Design, and Best Sound. It was filmed in Texas and New Mexico.