Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass, with Greengrass and co-writer Luke Davies (
Lion) adapting Paulette Jiles best-selling book of the same name for the screen.
Helena Zengel as Johanna and Tom Hanks as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd in News of the World
Saddling up for the journey ahead, Netflix says: Set five years after the end of the American Civil War, Hanks plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a veteran of three wars who 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.
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Co-written and directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, Green Zone, Captain Phillips) and based on Paulette Jiles 2016 novel, the story follows Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks), a Civil War veteran who in 1870 travels through Northern Texas reading the news to paying audiences. As he s traveling to a new town, he comes upon a young orphaned girl (Helena Zengel), who as a child was kidnapped and raised by the Kiowa as one of their own. With her Kiowa family dead, no English speaking ability, and nowhere to go, Kidd reluctantly agrees to take her to her aunt and uncle 400 miles away, sending the two on a harrowing adventure. (118 min.)
Captain Kidd and Johanna on their journey (Image: NETFLIX)
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If the plot sounds familiar you’d be right to spot this Western trope of a travelling loner who reluctantly takes on a vulnerable, sometimes valuable child, in a quest to return the youngling to their extended family.
Most recently we’ve seen this in Star Wars show The Mandalorian, in which a bounty hunter looks after Baby Yoda, while Hugh Jackman’s last bout as Wolverine in Logan saw his X-Men character caring for a girl with similar mutant powers.
Or perhaps a more traditional Western example is Rooster Cogburn and Mattie Ross in The Coen Brothers’ True Grit.
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Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel star in “News of the World.”Universal PicturesShow MoreShow Less
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Here’s a look at what’s new or notable in home video. Movies and TV series are available on streaming sites such as iTunes, Amazon and Vudu unless otherwise noted.
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When award-winning director Paul Greengrass first read Paulette Jiles’ 2016 novel
News of the World, he was struck by the similarities between post-Civil War America and today’s climate of fear, division and unrest.
The story behind the new Tom Hanks film, now available on streaming services, follows Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a Civil War veteran with a mysterious past.
Full of regret and seeking healing, Kidd goes from one small Texas town to another, reading aloud from newspapers to townspeople who gather, paying 10 cents each to hear these stories. During his travels, Kidd crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl taken by the Kiowa Native American tribe. Since her family was murdered by her captors, the child speaks no English.