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The Messenger
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The Messenger (2009)

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Reviews Counted:118

Fresh:106

Rotten:12

Average Rating:7.6/10

Consensus: A dark but timely subject is handled deftly by writer/directer Owen Moverman and superbly acted by Woody Harrleson and Ben Foster.

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Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some sexual content/nudity

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Theatrical Release: Nov 13, 2009 Wide

Box Office: $1.0M

Synopsis: In his most powerful performance to date, Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and... In his most powerful performance to date, Ben 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 (Woody 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 (Samantha 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 Oren Moverman, THE MESSENGER brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity.
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Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone

Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Steve Buscemi, Eamonn Walker

Director: Oren Moverman

Director: Oren Moverman
Screenwriter: Oren Moverman , Alessandro Camon
Producer: Benjamin Goldhirsh
Studio: Oscilloscope Pictures

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REVIEWS FOR THE MESSENGER

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1 - 20 of 118 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The Messenger drives home the point that war is a losing proposition, which has nothing to do with who is victorious on the battlefield. They're the everyday losses of life, of family, of friends.

Full Review Source: DCist | comment Comment
Jul 4, 2010
Ian Buckwalter
Ian Buckwalter
DCist

... a powerful perspective on the casualties of war.

Full Review Source: Seanax.com | comment Comment
May 23, 2010
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com

A powerful, PTSD PSA for 'Don't ask, don't kiss and tell' advocates.

Full Review Source: Sly Fox | comment Comment
May 18, 2010
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Sly Fox

Nice acting. Solid direction. Worth an investment of your time. Paul Chambers, CNN.

Full Review Source: CNNRadio | comment Comment
Apr 30, 2010
Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
CNNRadio

A tremendously moving drama, filled with heartbreak, humor and, most importantly, humanity.

Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | comment Comment
Apr 22, 2010
Mike Scott
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune

Delivering the news to the families of soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, a repressed Will is drawn to one empathetic widow.

Full Review Source: Moving Pictures Magazine | comment Comment
Mar 25, 2010
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
Moving Pictures Magazine

The first warning bell sounds when Woody boasts of his AA membership, as I don't believe anybody has ever seen Harrelson stay sober for an entire movie... or even an afternoon.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Weekly | comment Comment
Mar 19, 2010
Sean Burns
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly

The vignettes of reactions to Montgomery and Stone's grim visits are the meat of the movie.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
Mar 12, 2010
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

...Foster and Harrelson's respectively striking work is alone justification for the film's existence.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
Mar 2, 2010
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

The bombshell is the news of a soldier’s death and the delivery of that message is the heart of this unsentimental, yet deeply moving, story.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
Feb 26, 2010
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It’s Foster’s movie.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
Feb 26, 2010
Jim Slotek
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies

The film is premised on the verbal communication of urgent information, yet its many non-verbal moments provide the greatest strength and clarity.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
Feb 26, 2010
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
Top Critic IconTop Critic

There is great power in examining raw human emotions, especially when it's done so gracefully and honestly.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
Feb 25, 2010
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

A wrenching and superbly acted character study.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
Feb 19, 2010
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee

Harrelson received an Oscar nomination for supporting actor for his grim and volatile performance, but it could just as easily have gone to the quietly seething Foster.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
Feb 11, 2010
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

%u2026 while several [Irag war movies] have touched on the soldiers' internal experience, none have stayed with it for the duration of the film the way The Messenger does.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | comment Comment
Feb 11, 2010
Matt Kelemen
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife

Hero Without a Cause

Full Review Source: JWR | comment 5 Comments
Feb 10, 2010
S. James Wegg
S. James Wegg
JWR

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.

Full Review Source: Windy City Times | comment Comment
Feb 8, 2010
Richard Knight
Richard Knight
Windy City Times

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.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
Feb 4, 2010
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

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.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment 1 Comment
Jan 31, 2010
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
 
 
1 - 20 of 118 (sorted by date)
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