News Of The World | Movie Review

Good morning ladies and gents of the X-Army, I hope each and every one of you are good. Today I will be reviewing News Of The World. One of the best movies I’ve seen in this pandemic, don’t really want to say in recent times. I can confidently say this is one of the best movies so far this year. So without further ado, let’s get to it.

Synopsis |

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.

Cast |

Keeping the cast to it’s basic bones, we kick things off with the legend in Tome Hanks. Hanks plays the role of Captain Kidd, the main protagonist of the film. Kidd is a news reader that goes from town to town in the state of Texas reading the latest of what’s going on in the United States during the settlement era. Next we have Helena Zengel who plays Johanna, our secondary protagonist in the film. She is an orphaned child who has been raised by Native Americans who happened to have murdered her family at a young age. Next up is one of the two antagonists in the film, Merritt Farley. He is played by actor Thomas Francis Murphy and he runs a Buffalo skinning ranch where is under pays and values his workers. Last on the list we have actor Michael Angelo Covina who plays Almay, the final protagonist of the film. He tries to kidnap the young girl from Kidd in an attempt to sell her or even worse.

Set-Pieces |

The first set-piece sees Kidd in one of the smaller towns in Texas reading the news to locals. He is seen as a charismatic and engaging figure to people who pay to hear what he has to say. Well respected as the kids say. On his way to the next town, Kidd stumbles upon a wrecked carriage with a dead Native American close to it. While inspecting the area, he runs across a scared child who is unable to communicate. The two are then approached by US cavalrymen and is tasked on taking the girl with him. The second set-piece sees the Kidd and the young girl Johanna in the next town where Kidd tries to seek help from a local marshal. He indicates to Kidd that he has to be the one to take the girl to the only known family she has or just leave the child there. Later that day Kidd locates one of his former Civil War buddies with the child while he reads the news and attempts to pawn the kid off to them. Kidd sees that the girl will be too much to bare, so he takes the burden and begins the journey to take her back to her family.

The third set-piece sees Kidd in a new town where a local scumbag named Almay who sees the girl at the news reading. He notices that she is a bit savage looking and approaches Kidd in hopes of buying her off him for unknown reasons. Disgusting I believe would be safe to say. Kidd charges at him out of anger, which is seen by a local marshal and gets Almay arrested. This puts a mark on Kidd and Johanna, which results them in fleeing the town. The fourth set-piece sees Kidd and Johanna in a fire-fight standoff with Almay and his group. Kidd takes them out one by one with the help of Johanna and the two continue on their way. The two amazingly begin to bond over their differences of the world and so on. The fifth set-piece sees the two enter the former village that Johanna used to live. Here we get clarification that her parents and her sibling was murdered by the group of Native Americans that kidnapped her. Kidd reassures her that he will help her get to her family and the two continue. On the way they encounter Mr. Farley’s group who brings them to their settlement by force to read his local paper, since Kidd introduced himself as a news reader. While there we see the Buffalo trade and how sadistic Mr. Farley is in his treatment of his employers.

The sixth set-piece sees Kidd reading his own newspaper to Mr. Farley’s locals, which inspires a riot in the settlement. This results in Mr. Farley and his men attacking Kid for his disobedience, but is saved by Johanna and one of Mr. Farley’s men resulting in his death. The seventh set-piece sees the two making the home stretch of the journey where we see the wagon Kidd and Johanna breaking down resulting in the two flying off a cliff and having to kill the injured horses. The result of this forces the two to walk across the desert terrain, trying to survive on the minimal amount of water they have. If things couldn’t get worse, a sandstorm covers them resulting in the two being separated. Kidd sees Johanna in the midst of the storm receiving a horse by a Native American tribe. With this new horse the two finally make it to Johanna’s last remaining family and the two ultimately part ways.

The final set-piece sees Kidd going to face his demons by going to his dead wife’s grave and seeks guidance from her spirit. This gives him a wake up call that makes him reflect back to the journey he and Johanna made and the bond they developed. Kidd goes back to the family where he sees Johanna tied up in the yard by her family. Kidd unties her and takes her with him, ultimately adopting her in the process. Time flies by and we see that Johanna has become Kidd’s assistant in news telling and sees her being more civilized in a public setting. A true father and daughter story. The end.

Conclusion & Rating |

This was an unbelievable movie. I personally love Westerns and this was up my alley. The bond between Kidd and Johanna was really a joy to see develop over time. Their non-verbal development made that the two had to grow from their own experiences and journeys. Great film all around and if it’s not clear, I HIGHLY recommend this film. Worth it, even in COVID or the closing stages of COVID. A solid 5 out of 5.

Thank you ladies and gents for checking our this movie review. Please stay tuned for more content. Stay safe and I hope you have a wonderful week. Take it easy!

Originally published at http://xagonspeaks.wordpress.com on January 3, 2021.