The Messenger Delivers Compelling Performances
Last week, The Messenger, a film that went under many people’s radar due to its limited release, became available on DVD. Aside from Woody Harrelson’s Oscar nomination, it seems many people are unfamiliar with this movie. It deserves more attention than it’s getting, so I decided to write about it in order to hopefully turn more heads in its direction.
The Messenger is about two Casualty Notification Officers and how the work they do affects them, how they affect each other and the lives of people who receive their messages, and how their personal and wartime experiences affect their perspective of the job. In the past, we’ve seen movies about soldiers on the battlefield (Sands of Iwo Jima, Platoon), movies about rescue operations during war (Saving Private Ryan), mysteries about what happened during battle (Courage Under Fire), and ones about what happens to the soldiers when they return home (The Best Years of Our Lives, The Lucky Ones, Brothers). As far as I can recall, The Messenger is the first movie to focus primarily on the CNOs – and that makes it unique and intriguing, because it is a subject that carries with it a lot of drama.
This level of drama requires quality acting chops and The Messenger is fortunate in that regard. Yes, Woody Harrelson is very good as an unsentimental, callous, and lonely officer who takes his work very seriously, yet sees it as a “hit and get out operation”. But the real stand-out in this film is Ben Foster. Foster has floundered as a recognizable face for years in Freaks & Geeks, Six Feet Under, X-Men: The Last Stand, 30 Days of Night, and 3:10 to Yuma. The Messenger is his moment to finally shine. His character is apathetic, disinterested, and cares very little about his assignment or courtesy for others. His effect on those around him and his own change is played with a striking satisfaction that keeps you engaged in the story. Foster’s performance is reason enough to watch this movie.
The other aspect of The Messenger that keeps it interesting is how it handles its subject matter. There is nothing saccharine or sugar-coated about this film; it is completely devoid of any score to manipulate your emotions. Each notification scene is played out plainly with reactions from next of kin as raw and genuine as the real thing. This helps the audience share in the uncomfortable situations the officers are put in over and over again each day. It is a refreshing approach, since any Hollywood director would’ve been less confident about simply letting the scenes play out instead of going big and sentimental.
The Messenger isn’t perfect however, as it fails to occasionally make clear why the lead characters do some of the things they do. Why does Foster’s character shift toward caring for another person? Why does Harrelson’s character begin to crumble? The characters are performed without fault in everything they do, but the script fails to occasionally convey the why’s of its plotting.
Regardless, this is a very good film that deserves to be added to more Netflix accounts and be seen. Its subject is very interesting and handled better than that of most films despite its occasional ambiguity. The performances are very strong – especially by Ben Foster - and keep you involved even when the writing falters a bit.
7/10
Should you see it? Rent
The Messenger is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray.
The Messenger is about two Casualty Notification Officers and how the work they do affects them, how they affect each other and the lives of people who receive their messages, and how their personal and wartime experiences affect their perspective of the job. In the past, we’ve seen movies about soldiers on the battlefield (Sands of Iwo Jima, Platoon), movies about rescue operations during war (Saving Private Ryan), mysteries about what happened during battle (Courage Under Fire), and ones about what happens to the soldiers when they return home (The Best Years of Our Lives, The Lucky Ones, Brothers). As far as I can recall, The Messenger is the first movie to focus primarily on the CNOs – and that makes it unique and intriguing, because it is a subject that carries with it a lot of drama.
This level of drama requires quality acting chops and The Messenger is fortunate in that regard. Yes, Woody Harrelson is very good as an unsentimental, callous, and lonely officer who takes his work very seriously, yet sees it as a “hit and get out operation”. But the real stand-out in this film is Ben Foster. Foster has floundered as a recognizable face for years in Freaks & Geeks, Six Feet Under, X-Men: The Last Stand, 30 Days of Night, and 3:10 to Yuma. The Messenger is his moment to finally shine. His character is apathetic, disinterested, and cares very little about his assignment or courtesy for others. His effect on those around him and his own change is played with a striking satisfaction that keeps you engaged in the story. Foster’s performance is reason enough to watch this movie.
The other aspect of The Messenger that keeps it interesting is how it handles its subject matter. There is nothing saccharine or sugar-coated about this film; it is completely devoid of any score to manipulate your emotions. Each notification scene is played out plainly with reactions from next of kin as raw and genuine as the real thing. This helps the audience share in the uncomfortable situations the officers are put in over and over again each day. It is a refreshing approach, since any Hollywood director would’ve been less confident about simply letting the scenes play out instead of going big and sentimental.
The Messenger isn’t perfect however, as it fails to occasionally make clear why the lead characters do some of the things they do. Why does Foster’s character shift toward caring for another person? Why does Harrelson’s character begin to crumble? The characters are performed without fault in everything they do, but the script fails to occasionally convey the why’s of its plotting.
Regardless, this is a very good film that deserves to be added to more Netflix accounts and be seen. Its subject is very interesting and handled better than that of most films despite its occasional ambiguity. The performances are very strong – especially by Ben Foster - and keep you involved even when the writing falters a bit.
7/10
Should you see it? Rent
The Messenger is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray.