One of Tom Hanks’ films is now available for Netflix viewers to stream, but it may not be one you have heard of. The film scores highly on Rotten Tomatoes but can be overlooked due to the actor’s impressive catalogue of movies including Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan. News of the World is an American Western film co-written and directed by Paul Greengrass. It was based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Paulette Jiles. The film follows an ageing Civil War veteran who must return a young girl who was taken in by the Kiowa, and raised as one of them, to her last remaining family.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Five years after the end of the Civil War, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl taken by the Kiowa people. Forced to return to her aunt and uncle, Kidd agrees to escort the child across the harsh and unforgiving plains of Texas. However, the long journey soon turns into a fight for survival as the traveling companions encounter danger at every turn – both human and natural.”
Alongside Hanks, the film stars Hanks, Helena Zengel, Mare Winningham, Michael Angelo Covino.
News of the World was met with positive reviews upon its release and that is reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes ratings. The audience award the film with an 89% score, with one fan in particular penning it a “masterpiece”.
The critics are much the same, rating it at 88%. Their consensus states: “News of the World takes a slow but absorbing ride down a comfortingly familiar Western trail, guided by Tom Hanks in peak paternal mode.”
A top critic gave the film five out of five stars, they said: “If everything in sight doubles as a metaphor, the story plays as pure human drama. And when the action cranks, this famously gifted director of mayhem slips into gear – with a twist.”
Another critic added: “News of the World simmers with current day relevancy, but it very much looks and feels like a classic Hollywood Western.”
News of the World is available to stream on Netflix.