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Movies / On DVD / The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

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The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)

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Reviews Counted:21

Fresh:1

Rotten:20

Average Rating:3.4/10

Consensus: The heavy-handed narrative collapses under its own weight.

Runtime: 2 hrs 38 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Action master Besson takes on French history in this ambitious look at the legendary saint and martyr. Beginning with a young Joan witnessing her sister's rape and murder at the hands of brutal... Action master Besson takes on French history in this ambitious look at the legendary saint and martyr. Beginning with a young Joan witnessing her sister's rape and murder at the hands of brutal English soldiers, the film picks up years later when Joan (Jovovich) appears at the court of the French Dauphin (Malkovich), who is making little progress against his enemies. Joan's self-confidence and charisma induce the Dauphin to take a gamble by allowing her to lead troops, resulting in an upset victory at Orleans. However, Joan eventually outlives her usefulness to the French throne and is sold out to the English, who burn her for heresy. All the while, Joan struggles with her faith, exasperating the experienced French generals and having impassioned arguments with her imaginary "Conscience" (Hoffman). Features several exciting medieval battle scenes. [More]

Starring: Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman

Starring: Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman, Pascal Greggory, Vincent Cassel, Tcheky Karyo, Richard Ridings, Timothy West, Desmond Harrington, Andrew Birkin

Director: Luc Besson

Director: Luc Besson
Screenwriter: Luc Besson, Andrew Birkin
Producer: Patrice Ledoux
Composer: Eric Serra

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 2, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The year is 1429. France is in political and religious turmoil as members of the royal family battle for rule. But one peasant girl from a remote village gave her country the miracle it was looking for. Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element, Dazed and Confused) is Joan of Arc, a young woman who would inspire and lead her countrymen until her execution at the age of nineteen. Raised in a religious family, Joan witnessed her sister's rape and death at the hands of an invading army. Years later, as the same war raged on, Joan stood before her king with a message she claimed came from God: give her an army, and in God's name she would reclaim his diminished kingdom. But was the message real, or thedelusion of a girl whose life had been shattered? This startling epic drama by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) explores the life of Joan of Arc, her amazing victories, relationship with God, and tragic death. Co-starring John Malkovich and Academy Award(r) winners Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway, THE MESSENGER is a modern take on a medieval saint who enthralls people even today.
  • Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    08/30/04
    Janet Maslin
    Janet Maslin
    New York Times
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    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    08/07/04
    Peter Rainer
    Peter Rainer
    New York Magazine
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    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    04/25/03
    Globe and Mail
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    I've never left a Luc Besson movie not thinking that the guy has Froot Loops for brains.

    Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Charles Taylor
    Charles Taylor
    Salon.com
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    The Messenger is a mess, and probably an unholy one at that.

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    David L. Beck
    David L. Beck
    San Jose Mercury News
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    Like its almost-demented heroine, The Messenger is unnervingly consumed with energy.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
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    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Edward Guthmann
    Edward Guthmann
    San Francisco Chronicle
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    Besson seems to have no sense that Joan herself was giving a performance.

    Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    J. Hoberman
    J. Hoberman
    Village Voice
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    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
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    The English are uniformly and broadly portrayed as villainous louts, and today's four-letter oaths sound laughably anachronistic.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jane Sumner
    Jane Sumner
    Dallas Morning News
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    It's hard to recommend it to people who like action and blood because of all the talking; and, because of all the blood, it's hard to recommend it to those who might be interested in the talk.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jeff Millar
    Jeff Millar
    Houston Chronicle
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    Besson is unable to weave the comic scenes together with the serious gory ones, so both seem increasingly jarring and unbelievable.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jonathan Foreman
    Jonathan Foreman
    New York Post
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    Nothing less than a miracle saved France, The Messenger tells us, and nothing less than a miracle would be needed to rescue this film from itself.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Kenneth Turan
    Kenneth Turan
    Los Angeles Times
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    Marvelously shot.

    Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Michael Atkinson
    Michael Atkinson
    Mr. Showbiz
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    Both visually spectacular and staggeringly awful.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Michael Wilmington
    Michael Wilmington
    Chicago Tribune
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    Fails on nearly every count.

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Peter Brunette
    Peter Brunette
    Film.com
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    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
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    While The Messenger feeds our appetite for visual panache, it starves the soul.

    comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Sean Means
    Sean Means
    Film.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Milla Jovovich, who plays Joan, is a young woman who has been unmemorable in several pictures.

    Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Stanley Kauffmann
    Stanley Kauffmann
    New Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Half-baked.

    Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Steve Murray
    Steve Murray
    Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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