A sobering drama that at its core is a heterosexual love story between two men. To be clear, there's no homoerotic undercurrent here but it's a love story of opposites falling for each other nevertheless.

Rate this Movie ![]()
- Showtimes & Tickets
- Write a Review
- Read Reviews
- Add to List
- Get this Movie
- Buy Poster

- Visit Official Site

The Messenger (2009)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:95
Fresh:86
Rotten:9
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: A dark but timely subject is handled deftly by writer/directer Owen Moverman and superbly acted by Woody Harrleson and Ben Foster.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some sexual content/nudity
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Nov 13, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $804,307
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,...
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, Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband's death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.
Featuring tour-de-force performances from Foster, Harrelson and Morton, and a brilliant directorial debut by Moverman, THE MESSENGER brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity. --© Oscilloscope
[More]
Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone
Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Eamonn Walker, Steve Buscemi
Director: Oren Moverman
Director: Oren Moverman
Screenwriter: Oren Moverman, Alessandro Camon
Producer: Mark Gordon, Lawrence Inglee, Zach Miller
Composer: Nathan Larson
Studio: Oscilloscope Pictures
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "SAVE" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Reviews for The Messenger
There isn't a single glimpse of battlefield action in The Messenger, but Foster conveys the intensity of warfare in a long speech revealing how Will was injured.
The Messenger's clipped insight that war is hell is just the sort of line straight from the manual that the film strenuously cautions against.
...a stunningly sad and sobering movie about the inevitable personal costs of national bellicosity.
A film that never forgets those who most feel the pain of loss during a time of war.
The Messenger is the first film from Oren Moverman as a director, and it’s a fine piece of work.
Harrelson gives us layers of hurt under a callous yet needy crust. It may be the best performance of his career and certainly deserves Oscar consideration.
The Messenger is a film about shock and healing. Forget awe. In a world that avoids the realities of war, The Messenger casts a flickering light on some of the human cost of war.
As suspenseful -- in its less-violent way -- as 'The Hurt Locker,' as the soldiers bring their bad news to the homes of unsuspecting family members in a series of devastating vignettes, beautifully wrought by director Oren Moverman.
The Messenger is a worthy companion piece to this year's other movie about the war in the Middle East, Kathryn Bigelow's amazing The Hurt Locker.
With the insight and sensitivity of an insider, The Messenger illuminates the sometimes invisible victims of war -- the survivors -- and a pain that is tolerated but never quite healed.
The Messenger makes it [the death of a soldier] personal. And it is uncomfortable. Well-done movies about the tragedy of war and its impact on ordinary lives are that way.
Well acted, bare-bones look at homefront horror, but it's not quite in the same war league as The Hurt Locker.
Implies without stating, allowing us to understand and interpret the men as we will, without having anything forced down our throats.
Valiantly brings all wars to their ultimate endpoint: death and its effects on the fallen's loved ones.
This is the kind of film people might skip due to the preponderance of war movies out there, or forget in the wake of flashier end-of-the-year output, but The Messenger is one to watch for great performances.
Powerful and resonant, this is a film that asks us to look at the human cost of war. Ben Foster is a revelation.
In an indirect sense, this film is also about the reality of war as opposed to the illusions about war.
An emotionally affecting drama about the birth of compassion in an Iraq war hero assigned to work for the Casualty Notification Office.
Foster is a revelation, while Harrelson has arguably never been better.
Latest News for The Messenger
November 29, 2009:
Satellite Awards Nominees Announced ![]()
Signaling that the awards season is about to begin, the International Press Academy has announced the nominees for its 14th annual Satellite Awards. More...
November 12, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 2012 Isn't Quite Earth-Shaking
This week at the movies, we've got a global catastrophe (2012, starring John Cusack and Chiwetel Ejiofor) and some rock 'n' roll rebellion (Pirate Radio, starring Philip S.... More...
October 25, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Messenger at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Check out PopEater's collection of childhood photos of celebs, from Tom Cruise to Kim Kardashian.

TIME's Richard Corliss pores over the Oscar noms for the major awards and offers his take on who will win.

For a different take, the AV Club delves into why awards season is terrible.

Moviefone has put together a list of the actors with the most Razzie noms ever.

Hollywood.com makes a case for a big screen adaptation of popular game Mass Effect.
Promos

Download it from iTunes and get Tomatometer scores straight to your iPhone!



