Mild, wild west.

Like any longstanding genre, the Western has had to do an awful lot of pivoting through the decades to remain relevant. There are few genres out there more fundamental to cinema than this one, yet it’s wavering popularity over time has necessitated an ongoing evolution in order to ensure its survival.

From the very dawn of cinema, through the John Ford and John Wayne years, to the genre’s 60s reinvention and beyond, the Western’s popularity has waxed and waned over time, yet it has endured even as the film landscape shifts around it. To that end, any Western released in this day and age has a pretty big decision to make. Do you attempt to reinvent the (wagon) wheel? Or do you lean in on the nostalgia and play it safe?

As it is, you won’t have to get too far into News of the World to see just how safe it’s playing things. Almost everything about the film will feel familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Western genre, but is this overreliance on nostalgia the right move for the much-anticipated reunion of Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks?

Five years on from the Civil War, veteran Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) has put his time in combat behind him as he moves from town-to-town sharing news and stories from the furthest reaches of the globe. On his travels, Kidd crosses paths with Johanna (Helena Zengel), a young girl adopted by the Kiowa people six years earlier. Legally obliged to return the girl to her only remaining relatives, he must escort Johanna hundreds of miles across unforgiving wilderness, however, with the child hostile to an unfamiliar world and danger lurking around every corner, the pair face huge challenges in their search for home.

For a duo that appear made for one another, it’s more than a little surprising that News of the World is only Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass’ second collaboration. Quite frankly, it feels like the pair’s filmographies should intersect more than they actually do, however, despite their relatively brief shared history, their one film together is among the most impactful of both men’s careers.

As viewing experiences go, few come tauter or more tense as Captain Phillips, a film that saw Hanks take a significant step outside his comfort zone, while Greengrass took his penchant for visceral, nerve-shredding cinema to new heights. Now teaming up for only their second feature together, both actor and director show a clear desire to take things in new directions.

For careers that have spanned decades, it’s also pretty surprising that News of the World marks the first dalliance with the Western for either man. Whether or not this decision to avoid the genre until now was an overt one, only they will know, yet their greenhorn status with it goes some way towards explaining why they’ve played things so safe.

This first stab at a Western is about as solid and dependable as they get, yet News of the World marks a low-key success for both Hanks and Greengrass, as the film’s measured, slow-burn approach offers heart and a depth that belies its simplistic appearance. Whether it’s the beaten, world-weary old man, his reluctant paternal relationship, or the treacherous journey through wild, untamed land, the film hits many instantly familiar Western beats, however, despite its basic exterior, there’s an awful lot to admire.

Although the beats are familiar ones, News of the World hits them all very well, and despite the fact that you’ll probably be able to telegraph the plot’s direction from the off, the film’s delivery is so remarkably professional that you have to tip your hat to it. Effective, if unspectacular, the results speak for themselves, and despite this being his first venture into the Wild West, Greengrass fits the world remarkably well.

Subdued and restrained, this is certainly not the hyper-kinetic, nerve-wringing Paul Greengrass we’ve become accustomed to, yet, regardless of the almost complete absence of the director’s signature style, News of the World is no less satisfying. Of course, the film has its fair share of action and suspense along the way, however, these moments are outnumbered by quiet, contemplative ones that add a great deal of heart and thought to proceedings.

With long, drawn out periods accompanied by nothing more than Tom Hanks, his young co-star Helena Zengel, and the long, dusty trail, News of the World is a slow, contemplative effort, and despite the film’s paucity of action, there’s much to admire in its low-key approach. At one with the expansive landscape around it, the film is in no real rush to get where it’s going, and while the measured pace takes some getting used to, once this meditative approach clicks, its qualities come to the fore.

Of these qualities, the performances are a particular highlight, and often a crucial factor in rescuing the plot just as it threatens to drift off completely. Of course, in Tom Hanks you have the consummate professional and perhaps the steadiest hand in Hollywood, and as a man frequently referred to as ‘America’s Dad’, you’d expect nothing less than the committed, fatherly performance he delivers.

Although this may well be the most downtrodden, world-weary, and downright haggard we’ve ever seen him, Hanks’s natural charm and undoubted qualities shine through in every scene, frequently complemented by the talents of the young star beside him. While she’s been doing the business for a number of years in her native Germany, News of the World marks the 12-year-old Helena Zengel’s Hollywood debut, and she makes the huge jump without missing a single beat.

At once fiery, combative, and utterly vulnerable, Zengel’s Johanna is an absolute firecracker that turns what could’ve been a nothing, cliched plot device character into one that not only holds her own up against Hanks, but frequently outshines him. Going toe-to-toe with a member of Hollywood royalty is no mean feat, yet Zengel steps up to the challenge, crafting an affecting father/daughter chemistry that helps the film traverse even the bumpiest of roads.

Complementing this energy, the film’s visual’s make the most of the vast and rugged New Mexico setting, as Paul Greengrass overcomes his predisposition for a good bit of shaky-cam to sit back and let the scenery do the talking. Channelling his inner John Ford, Greengrass lays out the dust, dirt, and big skies of the American West before us, with Johanna and Captain Kidd utterly enveloped in the untameable wilderness that surrounds them.

The result is one that ticks all the appropriate Western boxes and delivers few surprises yet offers just the right amount of heart and soul to satisfy. With Paul Greengrass in a relatively subdued mood and with Tom Hanks putting in as reliable a shift as ever, News of the World certainly isn’t coming out all guns blazing, however, it delivers a riveting, nostalgic experience that harks back to the very dawn of the Western, while injecting just enough contemporary edge to keep things interesting.

News of the World is available to stream on Netflix (UK & International) and from all good VOD platforms (US) now.