The Messenger Reviews and Ratings


  • flickfever
    December 27, 2009
    flickfever
    Nobody likes to be the bearer of bad news. Being a messenger with foreboding details has, historically, been a bad position to hold and a job that has always been relegated to those at the bottom of the food chain. But that is exactly what The Messenger revolves around. It is a s...( read more)low-blooming movie about the work that military officers must do in order to bring news of soldiers' deaths to their families.

    Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton star in this sobering film about the intricacies and interactions between two officers who are tasked with delivering the news to several families throughout their region. One of those parties being Morton's character (who's had her military husband killed in action.)

    Foster plays the young, brooding soldier who sees his new duty as a way for life to kick him while he's down. After immeasurable pain suffered during his deployment, he sees this as a punishment or the military's way of pussyfooting and patronizing him for his injuries and his subsequent withdrawn personality. When he is partnered with a senior officer, played by Harrelson (who seems to be quite sure of himself and confident in his responsibility to teach his new pupil) Foster's character slowly begins to come out of his shell.

    In a muted portrayal, Foster almost seems miscast and a bad actor near the beginning of the film. But, slowly, you realize that this is a man who has a lot of contentious issues that make up his short past. He has been forced to deal with much more "brutality" than delivering news of dead soldiers. But once he sees the way his new job affects the people he's visiting, he begins to see things more clearly and with a slightly more grown-up perspective.

    Morton, as the sullen housewife, is brilliant to behold. Her quietly nuanced performance gives her star quality (and Oscar buzz) as well as brings depth to a character that could have been incredible one-dimensional had it been portrayed by a less-skilled actor. Her heart breaking turn as the grieving mother and wife with a new outlook on life is quite a revelation to watch (even if you don't realize its revelatory quality at first.)

    Essentially, the movie ends up being a blip on the cinematic radar this year. But it isn't for lack of having a great script, apt actors or a skillful director. It simply is too small a film (in scope and execution) to be able to compete with some of the more rambunctious or polished fare like The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air. Still, it is a movie worth seeking out and watching if only for the fact that it seems to have been made with heart and with a resonance that really is worth exploring for the patient, dedicated viewer.
  • LYNNWOODS04
    December 27, 2009
    LYNNWOODS04
    BEN FOSTER, WOODY HARRELSON, SAMANTHA MORTON, JENA MALONE, STEVE BUSCEMI

    By far one of the best performances Ben Foster has given. I can't say enough how talented I think he is and how strong his presence is in any movie he is in. I am so tired of reading things about him bein...( read more)g a "new comer". He has been in the game for awhile now, the only difference is people are just now noticing him. Loved him in ~The Hostage~ Birds Of America ~ and many others but let me get back to the movie at hand. =)
    The messenger is about a soldier named Will Montgomery, played by Ben Foster, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from Iraq. In returning he has been assigned to the Army's Casualty Notification service. He has been partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone, played by Woody Harrelson (who was great). Together they bring the bad news to the family members of the fallen soldiers. Will is struggling doing his job since he is to struggling with grief and guilt. He finds it hard trying to heal while bearing the bad news to those families of the fallen soldiers. On one of these missions of bad news is when he meets Olivia. He is there to tell her that her husband was killed but comes away with some sort of attachment to her. The movie has great performances from all. Very strong cast. I am a fan of most of them. But it would be really nice if these young actors would start getting noticed for their work. Like Ben Foster, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, or Ryan Goslin just to name a few. I think many young actors get looked over too many times. This is a film not many have heard of but should be seen by all. It makes you think about not only those out there who are receiving the bad news, but also of those "Messengers" who have to deliver it. Highly recommended...
  • gdllucena
    December 26, 2009
    gdllucena
    great movie i think that's why i want to watch
  • SadisticMinister
    December 22, 2009
    SadisticMinister
    I refuse, even though it is Woody.
  • jenn1984106
    December 21, 2009
    jenn1984106
    Really well acted, directed and written film.
  • divinetrash
    December 21, 2009
    divinetrash
    For 10 years I have been saying that Ben Foster is a natural talent, probably the best one of his generation, and everytime he releases a film I go "maybe this is the one that puts him on the map"; they never do, but he still continues to amaze and engage me with every performance.
  • gjhaddus
    December 21, 2009
    gjhaddus
    Ben Foster é sempre interessante.
  • agentsnash
    December 20, 2009
    agentsnash
    The Messenger is something nobody ever really thinks of. When you think of soldiers dying in Iraq and the men coming to their door to tell them that their loved one has died, most think of the grieving that the family will be doing but nobody ever thinks of "The Messenger". Someb...( read more)ody has to do this job. This movie has only been in limited release and I hope that with Oscar buzz it can get a wider release as the film only grossed $474,000.

    As far as acting goes, this movie is up there with the big shots of the year. This features some of the greatest acting performances that I've seen this year. Woody Harrelson's performance is the best I've seen this year for a Best Supporting Actor besides Christoph Waltz. This has been a great year for this guy, I loved him in Zombieland which was probably my favorite comedy this year. Ben Foster does a great job as well. For some reason I still have the image of him as the mentally challenged boy, Eli, in the show Freaks and Geeks instilled into my head. Steve Buscemi has a small role in this movie but he fits right in and made for one of my favorite scenes of the film.

    This movie isn't really about the plot at all. So if you're somebody who doesn't enjoy character studies, I can't say that I'd recommend this to you but if you do, you're in for a treat.
  • IfeellikeGregorSamsa
    December 20, 2009
    IfeellikeGregorSamsa
    Sometimes there comes a picture that makes you genuinely feel something and it is done by avoiding unnessesary explanations or sentimentality. An actor's picture that gives you an opportunity to see what an art true acting really is when you gather an intelligent and talented cas...( read more)t. And finally: a wise picture that don't judge anybody or makes you take sides, simply gives you a chance to reach the world of certain people that is usually neglected.

    Oren Moverman's "The Messenger" is modest, absorbing, quietly powerful and, above all, truthful in every second. A drama at its finest and my pick for the best picture of the year.
  • babubhaut
    December 19, 2009
    babubhaut
    click for review
  • tequilamockingbird82
    December 18, 2009
    tequilamockingbird82
    Woody Harrelson (and Samantha Morton's new few extra sexy pounds) makes it worth seeing, though the movie isn't the greatest. Could be Harrelson's second Oscar nomination. Actually Foster's performance may be more praiseworthy, but his character is just unlikable. He lacks Ton...( read more)y Stone's discomforting appeal. Morton doing the best she can with an underwritten character has her moments. She is the best actor of the three but does not have the opportunity to show it here. Very unsteady screenplay and direction.
  • ahs15
    December 13, 2009
    ahs15
    Watch This Movie Online FREE
    http://Fly75.com
  • cenzano38
    December 2, 2009
    cenzano38
    The Messenger is a limited release movie that covers a potentially difficult subject.

    What becomes a good movie about the two characters starts out a cheesed up, run of the mill film that seems to try distancing itself from the audience with standard "soldier scenes." They thro...( read more)w in one cliche after the next that takes any potential for uniqueness, and even greatness, from The Messenger.

    The actors are the best thing about The Messenger. Easily.Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Samantha Moon; all wonderfully cast, and playing their parts very well. The director is Oren Moverman, who is also co-writer. He does a fair job, but with this cast, I doubt he had to work too hard.

    The chemistry between Ben Foster/Smantha Morton and Ben Foster/Woody Harrelson were both fantastic. The movie had a good transition from senior ranking soldier/enlisted to guys who don't like each other, to good friends who share the bond of being screwed up from similar instances.

    If they did consult veterans for information, they didn't do a very good job transitioning it to film. The emotion was there, but they weren't able to get the audience fully involved. That's a pretty big thing with a movie like The Messenger. It's just OK.

    For serious movie watchers, I'd say rent it. By all means. If you're not into watching a movie just to see good acting, you don't have to bother with The Messenger.
  • mshtivelman
    November 26, 2009
    mshtivelman
    i love a good miltry flim
    and this one sertently
    dilveres on that . i found
    it to be a buetful complax
    flim with great preformas
    espacil by ben foster. i
    know movie like this one
    are not populer right now
    but i really liked it.
  • LitelBluHli
    November 4, 2009
    LitelBluHli
    Wow, reading about it gave me chills. =)
  • laurent36
    October 28, 2009
    laurent36
    Opened 2009 Woodstock FIlm Festival to rousing reviews and applause. Best Q&A ever...
  • CinemaPlanet
    October 12, 2009
    CinemaPlanet
    Interesting character study bogs down with narrative inertia.

Summary

The Messenger Summary