SummaryFive years after the end of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks), a veteran of three wars, now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe. In the plains of Texas, he crosses p... Read More
Directed By:Paul Greengrass
Written By:Paul Greengrass, Luke Davies, Paulette Jiles
News of the World
Metascore
Generally Favorable
73
User score
Generally Favorable
6.9
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
84% Positive
38 Reviews
38 Reviews
13% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Jan 12, 2021
100
News of the World works at the highest levels as a story of two lost souls who find one another, and as a crackling good, blood-spattered Western.
Dec 11, 2020
88
In the hands of Tom Hanks and his “Captain Phillips” director, Paul Greengrass, this adaptation of a Paulette Jiles novel becomes a parable for these “troubled times,” a story of race and unrepentant racism, men of violence who won’t give up that violence and the power of a free press to rectify that.
User score
Generally Favorable
67% Positive
101 Ratings
101 Ratings
27% Mixed
41 Ratings
41 Ratings
6% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
May 12, 2022
10
I really like this movie, gunna be a favorite. Its has its 'dark' story moments, but it doesn't make you feel bad for watching it (like so many other movies do) and its got a good heartfelt happy ending (which is also rare these days). I wish there where more modern movies like it.
Apr 10, 2021
10
A beautiful traditional Western featuring two virtuoso actors, one of whom happens to be a 12-year-old German kid. It may be a bit slow-moving for some tastes, but I found the story and the chemistry between Tom and Helena absolutely captivating. Something wonderful managed to make it out of 2020.
Jan 29, 2021
80
Instead of a study of alienation and solitude, News of the World is about connection – about two traumatised people finding silent comfort in each other. About the promise of healing. It’s a long road, cautions this elegiac film, but it’s always easiest when travelled together.
Jan 7, 2021
75
Many of the best scenes are silent, enhanced by a wonderfully wistful score by James Newton Howard.
Dec 30, 2020
70
Despite the pedigree of Hanks and Greengrass, this effort doesn't quite get there - but it's still well-made. News of the World is a standard Western with a predictable story, though it's elevated by Hanks and Helena Zengel's performances.
Dec 11, 2020
63
Hanks is sturdy as ever, grounding the proceedings in a warm sense of familiar, fatherly comfort. But the rest of the film feels weightless, and at parts unbelievably dumb. One mid-film shoot-out in particular is executed with such listlessness that it’s a wonder Greengrass was able to stay awake while filming it.
Dec 11, 2020
38
The film sanctimoniously suggests that ignorance or distrust of the news is nothing new, but rather the bedrock of America’s formation.
Feb 27, 2021
10
A clear proof that the western still has stories to share. The odyssey of a war veteran, dedicated to reading and sharing news, and delivering an orphan girl to her closer relatives, arouses the viewer's interest for two hours, with a context that makes clear prejudices that are still in force. Homework.
Jun 13, 2023
6
There are some good performances here, but there really is nothing here to make it stand out from a story told many times before.
Nov 24, 2022
6
Tom Hanks is doing a great job here and the production design is great but the story isn't super interesting.
Jan 31, 2021
3
Do not wast your time watching this movie. Read the book!!! This "Tom Hanks" rescue the world vehicle is terrible. They could have blurred all the faces of every other actor, even Johanna's, in this movie and nothing would have changed in this movie. The book was powerful with well developed characters of native American, Afro-American, and European American decent. There was kindness, greatness, loyalty, weariness, strength and evil intent of many characters across all racial lines. The complexities of the native American cultures is completely lacking in the movie is by far the greatest loss. Paulette Jiles please do not let them use your material again. Terrible adaptation.
Apr 6, 2021
2
Tom Hanks is decent as always, but the writing is so bad it's painful to watch this.
Production Company:
- Perfect World Pictures
- Playtone
- Pretty Pictures
- Universal Pictures
Release Date:Dec 25, 2020
Duration:1 h 58 m
Rating:PG-13
Tagline:Find Where You Belong
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 4 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 2 Nominations
Hawaii Film Critics Society
• 8 Nominations
