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The Messenger (2009)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 151
Fresh: 136 | Rotten: 15

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

Average Rating: 7.5/10
Critic Reviews: 29
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 4

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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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 19,046

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Movie Info

An Iraq War veteran who just narrowly escaped death in combat struggles with his new post at the Casualty Notification Office while anticipating his upcoming discharge in this military drama starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Jena Malone, and Samantha Morton. Will Montgomery (Foster) has spent his fair share of time in army hospitals, and with just three months to go before returning to civilian life, he discovers that his girlfriend back home (Malone) has decided to move on with her life.

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Drama, Romance

Directed By: Oren Moverman

Written By: Oren Moverman, Alessandro Camon

In Theaters: Nov 13, 2009 Wide

On DVD: May 18, 2010

Box Office:$1.0M

Oscilloscope Pictures

The Messenger Trailer & Photos

More Photos (12)

Cast

Ben Foster
Staff Sgt. Will Montgom...
Woody Harrelson
Capt. Tony Stone
Samantha Morton
Olivia Pitterson
Jena Malone
Kelly
Steve Buscemi
Dale Martin
Eamonn Walker
Col. Stuart Dorsett

Critic Reviews for The Messenger

All Critics (151) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (141) | Rotten (15) | DVD (9)

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.

February 26, 2010 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

| Comment

Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

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

February 26, 2010 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

| Comment

Peter Howell

Toronto Star

Top Critic

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.

January 27, 2010 Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel

| Comment

Roger Moore

Orlando Sentinel

Top Critic

At its center lie three accomplished performances, by Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton, that are not to be missed.

December 10, 2009 Full Review Source: New York Observer

| Comment

Rex Reed

New York Observer

Top Critic

The beauty in Foster's portrayal is that it never completely explodes, but anger and aching seethe behind his eyes. Harrelson, meanwhile, is a good old boy with a bad old job.

November 25, 2009 Full Review Source: Detroit News

| Comment

Tom Long

Detroit News

Top Critic

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.

November 25, 2009 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment (1)

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Alejado de cualquier rastro de patriotismo, desnudando la complejidad emocional detr�s de un drama hist�ricamente recurrente que ha sido retratado con frecuencia por el cine norteamericano, aunque esta vez de manera un poco m�s intimista.

July 22, 2011 Full Review Source: Uruguay Total

| Comment

Enrique Buchichio

Uruguay Total

It never feels contrived or overwritten, managing to deftly pack emotional punches through the strength of its performances and direction.

July 14, 2011 Full Review Source: Digital Spy

| Comment

Ben Rawson-Jones

Digital Spy

It's a shame so few people will see this on the silver screen.

June 22, 2011 Full Review Source: Birmingham Post

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Graham Young

Birmingham Post

The Messenger takes on a warmth and plangency that rewards viewing.

June 19, 2011 Full Review Source: Observer [UK]

| Comment

Jason Solomons

Observer [UK]

Don't let the fact Woody Harrelson got an Oscar nomination tempt you anywhere near The Messenger - the message here is about as welcome as a death knock on a wet Sunday afternoon.

June 17, 2011 Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK]

| Comment

David Edwards

Daily Mirror [UK]

An intelligent, superbly acted and moving drama that manages to say more about war and its consequences than most films set on the front line.

June 17, 2011 Full Review Source: Movie Talk

| Comment

Jason Best

Movie Talk Source: Movie Talk

Although it stumbles on the storytelling, drifting rather repetitively around the lives of its haunted protagonists, it's a rewarding, humane picture.

June 17, 2011 Full Review Source: Daily Express

| Comment

Henry Fitzherbert

Daily Express

Foster and an Oscar-nominated Harrelson effectively convey the outward steel and inner fragility of these men of war but the film is slow-moving and maudlin.

June 17, 2011 Full Review Source: Daily Express

| Comment

Allan Hunter

Daily Express

An intelligent and well-acted film which deserves its outing here.

June 16, 2011 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]

| Comment

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian [UK]

It's a film of quietly assured dramatic clout, a strong and sober reckoning with American conscience.

June 16, 2011 Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph

Stumbles a little, loosening its grip in the bromantic final stretch. But if impenitent heartstring pluckage is what you're after, this is where it's at.

June 16, 2011 Full Review Source: Little White Lies

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Josh Winning

Little White Lies

This worthwhile drama reports from the home front as the war on terror continues.

June 16, 2011 Full Review Source: Radio Times

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Trevor Johnston

Radio Times

The Oscar-nominated script pursues a grimly honourable task into its grim and not always honourable byways.

June 15, 2011 Full Review Source: Financial Times

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

Intimate, powerful filmmaking.

June 15, 2011 Full Review Source: The Skinny

| Comment

Chris Fyvie

The Skinny

It's a welcome addition to the increasingly interesting movie canon dealing with the downside of the war.

June 15, 2011 Full Review Source: Sky Movies

| Comment

Tim Evans

Sky Movies

[An] unpredictable, episodic, deeply resonant character piece.

June 15, 2011 Full Review Source: Time Out

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Tom Huddleston

Time Out

A powerhouse performance full of tragic comic undertones while looking at the psychological effects of war in an original storytelling manner...

June 14, 2011 Full Review Source: Real.com

| Comment

Lisa Giles-Keddie

Real.com

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Audience Reviews for The Messenger

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An emotional powerhouse drama. Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster are stunning...

January 18, 2011

Jameson Worley

Super Reviewer

Heavy, heavy stuff. Loved it. A couple of scenes go on a bit long, but overall this is a film with a lot to it. The characters are real, the plot is tight and comes together perfectly, the acting is impressive, and the gritty realist style brings to light just what the Iraq War has meant to so many families, in the

July 9, 2010

Daniel Perry

Super Reviewer

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