Another dark, gloomy drama about home life during wartime, this film features some seriously great performances and a theme that will resonate powerfully with thoughtful audiences.
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10/08/09
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The Messenger (2009)
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Reviews Counted:67
Fresh:61
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: A dark but timely subject is handled deftly by writer/directer Owen Moverman and superbly acted by Woody Harrleson and Ben Foster.
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Co-written by Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon, THE MESSENGER is a powerful and tender story about a returned war hero making his first steps toward a normal life. In his first leading role,... [More]
Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone
Director: Oren Moverman
Reviews for The Messenger
So bungled up with fashionable ambivalence about the Iraq War that every single behavioral detail is not just prejudicial but wrong.
11/11/09
A story that strays about without finding its center.
11/11/09
Whenever writer-director Oren Moverman moves past these scattered and admittedly voyeuristic moments into the lives of the two soldiers, the movie drifts into received wisdom and unconvincing romance.
11/25/09
This character piece may be for the arthouse, but the artistry has a gaping wound, large enough to allow credulity to seep out.
11/17/09
A shoddy, shouty bore. A piece of flummery.
11/15/09
Many scenes in The Messenger feel merely illustrative, not designed to develop characters and story so much as to make the point, over and over, that the home front can be as harrowing as the front lines.
11/12/09
Oren Moverman’s sober and satisfying drama shows how the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have created a fissure in American society.
11/13/09
Top CriticHarrelson's calm performance anchors the film, and whenever the story drifts back to him and his cautious friendship with Foster, the flick feels true.
11/12/09
Foster leaves you hoping that Will finds his way home.
11/20/09
Top CriticThe Messenger delivers what it has to say without sensationalism or political posturing. That restraint, along with the quality of the performances, makes it all the more powerful.
11/24/09
Messengers with the worst possible message, they nonetheless manage to be human and alive .... In a film that itself bears sad tidings about the costs of war, that is an affirming, even an inspiring, gift.
11/13/09
A stunning debut, an effective, expertly-made and performed drama about the common human ability to deal with tragedy and loss in unique, unpredictable ways.
11/20/09
As the lonely, complex and friendly Stone, Harrelson evokes the experience of The Messenger as sturdily as a freshly pinned medal of valor.
11/12/09
Individually, none of the mini-dramas in The Messenger would be enough to blow you away. But grouped together, they're so beautifully and specifically written that they make for a convincing picture of the first stages of grief.
11/24/09
This is a wholly different look at the fallout of the Iraq War and its effect on soldiers and civilians. It is also a gentle portrait of grief, friendship and solace.
11/24/09
This is a poignant war movie, but it's also a buddy movie with a difference, one that's both funny and bleak.
11/19/09
Because of the nature of its subject matter, 'The Messenger' is emotionally charged, but director Oren Moverman and his able cast prevent it from feeling phony or manipulative.
11/27/09
There is a complexity to the story and characters that I want more insight on and I really believe that the movie might grow on me with a repeat viewing.
11/22/09
This is a fully felt, morally alert, marvellously acted piece of work. Despite the grim subject, it’s a sweet-tempered movie, with moments of explosive humor -- an entertainment.
11/09/09
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