The Messenger
The Messenger is one powerful film. It is a small film that has gotten great reviews and it needs to be seen. It is not going to get the release that 2012 or Twilight got but it is slowly opening around the country so try to catch it if you can.
The film is directed by Oren Moverman (he co-wrote the wonderful I'm Not There). He is a first time director but you would never know it. The script was co-written with Alessandro Camon. The protagonist is Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster). Montgomery is a Iraq war vet. He has suffered some injuries and he is considered a hero. He has three months left before his enlistment is complete. He is assigned to a duty that no one wants - telling families that their loved ones have been killed. Montgomery will be working with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) who is very experience in doing this. Stone is quite a character and sometimes seems too much for the reserved Montgomery.
What follows is harrowing. They go to several different families and you can only imagine their. However, one woman - Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton) seems almost cool about the news. Montgomery takes a keen interest in her and wants to get to know her better.
I really don't want to say more about what happens. The film takes its time telling the story and that is a good thing - at least for me it is. You get to know Montgomery and Stone pretty well. The film doesn't go into politics but it is an anti-war film of the highest order. Moverman was in the Israeli army and certainly knows the score. He is a filmmaker to watch and Camon is also someone to watch. Foster, Harrelson and Morton all give outstanding performances. And Steve Buscemi, as the father of one of the fallen soldiers, is simply wonderful in a two scene cameo.
So, if The Messenger is playing in your neck of the woods do yourself a favor and take yourself to see it. You won't be sorry that you did. It is definitely one of the best films of the year!
The film is directed by Oren Moverman (he co-wrote the wonderful I'm Not There). He is a first time director but you would never know it. The script was co-written with Alessandro Camon. The protagonist is Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster). Montgomery is a Iraq war vet. He has suffered some injuries and he is considered a hero. He has three months left before his enlistment is complete. He is assigned to a duty that no one wants - telling families that their loved ones have been killed. Montgomery will be working with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) who is very experience in doing this. Stone is quite a character and sometimes seems too much for the reserved Montgomery.
What follows is harrowing. They go to several different families and you can only imagine their. However, one woman - Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton) seems almost cool about the news. Montgomery takes a keen interest in her and wants to get to know her better.
I really don't want to say more about what happens. The film takes its time telling the story and that is a good thing - at least for me it is. You get to know Montgomery and Stone pretty well. The film doesn't go into politics but it is an anti-war film of the highest order. Moverman was in the Israeli army and certainly knows the score. He is a filmmaker to watch and Camon is also someone to watch. Foster, Harrelson and Morton all give outstanding performances. And Steve Buscemi, as the father of one of the fallen soldiers, is simply wonderful in a two scene cameo.
So, if The Messenger is playing in your neck of the woods do yourself a favor and take yourself to see it. You won't be sorry that you did. It is definitely one of the best films of the year!
posted by Film Fanatic | 1:58 PM
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