Tom Hanks sees US election warning in thriller Inferno
Returning as Dan Brown’s symbologist hero Robert Langdon in Inferno, Tom Hanks draws parallels between the Ron Howard-directed film and the one-size-fits-all mentality of contemporary US politics
Embedded within the manic action of Inferno, the latest big-screen adaptation of a Dan Brown thriller, is a warning about the dangers of seeking simple solutions to complex problems. Star Tom Hanks says it’s a theme with echoes in the current US presidential race.
Inferno sets Hank’s polymathic professor Robert Langdon on the trail of a deadly plague concocted by billionaire scientist Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster) out of a sort of warped humanitarianism: He plans to end war, poverty and famine by wiping out half the world’s population.
Hanks says the belief that there’s a “one-step answer to all problems” is alarmingly relevant.
“Down through history there’s been an awful lot of people who say: Here’s what the problem is, here’s what it was caused by, and all you have to do is my suggestion, there’s an easy way in order to make it go away,” Hanks said.
It’s very simplistic, it’s very reactionary. It’s almost like a fundamental embracing of a brand of ignorance. But I think it’s part of the political discourse
“It’s very simplistic, it’s very reactionary. It’s almost like a fundamental embracing of a brand of ignorance,” he added. “But I think it’s part of the political discourse.”