Five years after the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news from the far reaches of the globe. In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl, Johanna (Helena Zengel) taken in by the Kiowa people and raised as one of their own. Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says she belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness, the two face tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces as they search for a place they can call home.
Others to round out the cast are Michael Angelo Covino as Almay, Ray McKinnon as Simon Boudin, Mare Winningham as Doris Boudin, Thomas Francis Murphy as Mr. Farley, Fred Hechinger as John Calley, Elizabeth Marvel as Mrs. Gannett, Bill Camp as Mr. Branholme, Neil Sandilands as Wilhelm Leonberger and Winsome Brown as Anna Leonberger.
This was painstakingly directed with incredible realism by Paul Greengrass ("Resurrected" '89, "Open Fire" (TV movie) '94, "The One That Got Away" (TV movie) '96, "The Fix" (TV movie) '97, "The Theory of Flight" '98, "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence" (TV movie) '99, "Bloody Sunday" '02, "The Bourne Supremacy" '04, "United 93" '06, "The Bourne Ultimatum" '07, "Green Zone" '10, "Captain Phillips" '13, "Jason Bourne" '16, "22 July" '18) plus TV. As with so many other Greengrass films I've seen, this film's direction certainly has that realistic feel to it. His eye for detail is consummate as the characters unfold before the audience's eyes. And since this is not the first film working with Tom Hanks--the other being "Captain Phillips", it simply had to make his job that much easier. His pacing with this, being somewhat slower in places, didn't seem to bother me, considering that their is a definite trust factor that was imperative to establish between the two., so slowness was purposed. Her inability to speak english--she only spoke Kiowa language and the fact he didn't know the language himself, made getting to know and trust one another quite the challenge. This was pure genius with the direction. If this brand of directing interests you, his "1984" has been announced. It was also written by Greengrass (""Open Fire (TV movie) '94, "The One That Got Away" (TV movie) '96, "The Fix" (TV movie) '97, "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence" (TV movie) '99, "Bloody Sunday" '02, "Omagh" (TV movie) '04, "United 93" '06, "Jason Bourne" '16, "22 July" '18) plus TV and also was written by Luke Davies ("Angel of Mine" '19) plus TV, based on the novel by Paulette Jiles. Clearly this filmmaker is incredibly adept at putting an amazing film together. Even though he has the lion's share of the experience, I'm sure Davies was pivotal in his ideas. Usually when I see films that are created with character development and with the slowness of pacing that this conveyed, I typically start getting fidgety with it about half way through, but the slow pace here was strategic. It simply builds the intensity when the script calls for it. And, of course, Hanks is consummate with his role as he usually is. The one that intrigued me was Zengel as Johanna. Where did they get her? I've never heard of her, but she was amazingly captivating.
This has been nominated for more than one Academy Award and should win. Please be patient with this film; it seems to drag, but before you know it, you'll get caught up with all that's happening. This was originally released on 12-25-20, but because of the pandemic, it wasn't really released until last month. Unfortunately, the closest theater for me to see it at this time is a 30 mile trek, so I opted to purchase it and critique it for you.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: PG-13 118mins.
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