Premise: A travelling newsman reluctantly agrees to transport a young girl, raised by the Kiowa tribe, to her living family members.
Three comparisons came to mind for this movie as I was watching it.
1) It's True Grit (2010) without the sense of humor.
2) It's True Grit (1969) but more earnest.
3) It's a PG-13 edit of There Will Be Blood done by Wal-Mart.
All of those are snarkier than my actual opinion of the movie. I've seen this movie before even if I haven't technically watched this one before. It's a familiar story. Moving out of the Western genre "adult takes on a child in need for a journey or job" is among the most common premises in cinema. It's a premise I almost always enjoy. And, if you are asking me to watch a movie about a decent man doing the right thing, you might as well lean into it and cast "America's Dad" Tom Hanks. Because, that is the movie. Tom Hanks is a drifter content with doing his job and getting from one day to the next. Throughout the movie, he's put in situations that challenge him to do the good and right thing, and repeatedly he chooses to do the good and right thing. It's not an interesting movie on a character level. However, I always found Daniel Plainview exhausting. Seeing someone uncomplicated in this setting can be nice. The complications in the movie are all exterior. Hanks finds this girl that no one else will take. The wagon breaks. Men want to steal the little girl. Men want to hurt Kidd (Hanks) for not reading "their" news. Very little of the conflict comes from Hanks making a moral mistake. This is what I affectionately call a "people doing their damn job" movie. I admit, it can be a little dull at times, but think about it. How often do you watch a movie in which a character makes a decision you know they'll regret? Most plot comes in some way from a person not acting logical. It's uncommon to watch something in which someone has a difficult time doing a difficult job even though he's doing it well. That reflects life more than most things.
Hanks and Helena Zengel are working off different ends of the spectrum. Hanks is capable and measured. It's a small performance by design. Zengel on the other hand has to do a lot. She's basically feral*. She's a German actress in an English film and speaking a third language. She's 12 and basically doing what Jodie Foster did in Nell. It's a lot. Both characters are genuinely decent though and that's how they bond.
*To be clear, I'm not saying that being raised by the Kiowa made her wild. The mix of different customs, different language, and limited parenting makes her a tough fit in Hanks' world.
While the movie moves at a measured pace, it's not completely dull. There are a couple shootouts. The runaway wagon and dust storm scenes are tense. Ultimately though, it's a movie about a man who reads the newspaper to people for a living. Adjust your excitement accordingly.
Verdict: Weakly Recommend
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