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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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.
Nov 13, 2009 Wide
May 18, 2010
$1.0M
Oscilloscope Pictures
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.
The film is premised on the verbal communication of urgent information, yet its many non-verbal moments provide the greatest strength and clarity.
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.
At its center lie three accomplished performances, by Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton, that are not to be missed.
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.
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.
Alejado de cualquier rastro de patriotismo, desnudando la complejidad emocional detrás de un drama históricamente recurrente que ha sido retratado con frecuencia por el cine norteamericano, aunque esta vez de manera un poco más intimista.
It never feels contrived or overwritten, managing to deftly pack emotional punches through the strength of its performances and direction.
It's a shame so few people will see this on the silver screen.
The Messenger takes on a warmth and plangency that rewards viewing.
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.
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.
Although it stumbles on the storytelling, drifting rather repetitively around the lives of its haunted protagonists, it's a rewarding, humane picture.
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.
An intelligent and well-acted film which deserves its outing here.
It's a film of quietly assured dramatic clout, a strong and sober reckoning with American conscience.
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.
This worthwhile drama reports from the home front as the war on terror continues.
The Oscar-nominated script pursues a grimly honourable task into its grim and not always honourable byways.
Intimate, powerful filmmaking.
It's a welcome addition to the increasingly interesting movie canon dealing with the downside of the war.
[An] unpredictable, episodic, deeply resonant character piece.
A powerhouse performance full of tragic comic undertones while looking at the psychological effects of war in an original storytelling manner...
An emotional powerhouse drama. Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster are stunning...
January 18, 2011Super 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, 2010Super Reviewer
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