La Mission

The combination of Tom Hanks in top form, as always, and director Paul Greengrass providing a visual delight and you have one of these joyous heartfelt films that often slip through the cracks. The story may be predictable but it is told with such warmth and feeling that I truthfully didn't want the film to end. A movie to gladden the heart in these difficult and depressing times.

Tom Hanks is a 19th century newsman who reads newspaper stories to townsfolk in Texas. On his route of numerous locations, he comes across a young German-born girl who has been living under the care of native Americans who have been slaughtered. He takes it upon himself as her new guardian to escort her across the countryside to safety in the hope of finding her a new home. Along the way, they achieve an expected bond as two lonely souls in a treacherous world of danger of adversity.

Hanks is great as always, as the film is told from his weary, anguished eyes. But newcomer Helena Zengel steals the film from right underneath him with a mesmerizing performance as a young girl traumatized by personal tragedy, untrusting of the world around her and just beginning to learn her communication. Together, they bring this rugged journey to life. Director Paul Greengrass makes a vivid recreation of 19th century American wilderness, a land of difficult terrain and occasionally bitter climate. Through it all, it becomes a battle for survival for both the old man and the child he is protecting. An old school tale of American grit, this one is expertly crafted and highly recommended.

I didn't really love this film. I think it is competently made and you can tell the director knew what he was doing, i just think it was pretty average.

The story is very slow, it is almost a road movie. You can see the ending coming from a mile off. I just don't know if this was a story that needed to be told.

The script was pretty beige to me too. It wasn't gripping. It wasn't really passionate either. It just felt like a movie script from a western from 2006 that we have all forgot and you may have rented from blockbuster once but you don't really remember it. It just wasn't fresh.

I do think the set pieces were pretty good. They looked really nice and in turn provided some lovely shots. I didn't love the colour of this film. It was very muted. I get that it was a western but it just looked really grey and washed out. Maybe this was a choice i just didn't love it.

The acting was pretty good especially from the two leads. Some of the other acting was a bit over the top and out of place. Some of the antagonists seemed like pantomime villains and i also think when they were on screen the script also sagged. It turned into Saturday mourning cartoons a little bit.

I do think some of the action scenes were engaging however. I think they were pretty tense and enjoyable to watch.

I think you could watch this, just keep in mind it is slow. Do i think it should win any awards. No. But you could definitely check it out.

I'm a big fan of Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks, so I was looking forward to this 19th-century Western. Based on the book of the same name, it tells the story of a Civil War veteran, Capt. Kidd (Hanks) who now serves as a news-teller in Texas. He must bring a young girl, Johanna, to her aunt and uncle. The film is skillfully well-made and leisurely paced, as its tone feels almost lyrical. Its western setting is depicted as harsh and realistic, but still unique and powerful. The film's cinematography of 19th-century north Texas is absolutely impeccable. After "Nomadland," it's the best cinematography of the year. From gorgeous wide shots of prairies and canyons and mountains to detailed sets of important towns at the time such as Wichita Falls, the shots look sublime throughout the film.

While the film's pacing is slow, it never feels too slow by any means. In fact, such leisurely pacing feels appropriate to the more lyrical tone of the film--almost like a more gritty version of a ballad. Even though the film is obviously very tonally different from Greengrass' other films, such as the original Bourne trilogy and "Captain Phillips," Greengrass is still able to build up lots of suspense at appropriate times over the course of the film--such as a scene when Capt. Kidd and Johanna must out-maneuver a gang of outlaws, a bumpy and dangerous stagecoach ride, and a desert storm. The emotional core between Kidd and Johanna is very well done, and the performances are very strong. Hanks does a great job showing a range of both charisma and grit in the role, and the young actress who plays Johanna is superb. My only criticism of the film was that the film could have developed Kidd and Johanna better as characters, although the limited dialogue between the two of them (as Johanna does not speak English) may be one of the reasons why character development within the scenes they are both together in can sometimes be a bit limited. Otherwise, this is a gritty yet gorgeous Western made with passion and talent. Gladly recommended. 8/10

It's very good but so slow-paced and feels boring sometimes. The story is beautiful with a beautiful emotional connection between the leads, also tackles many interesting topics, and it's well written but it has nothing new or unique to deliver, we've seen many similar stories before. Tom Hanks' performance is very good and seeing him in a western role is new and interesting. The cinematography is amazing with many great frames and sceneries of the wildernesses. News Of The World is not a masterpiece but it's still worth a watch.