Kill the Messenger (2014)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Kill the Messenger's potent fury over the tale of its real-life subject overrides its factual inaccuracies and occasional narrative stumbles.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Gary Webb
as Sue Webb
as John Cullen
as Alan Fenster
as Coral Baca
as Anna Simons
as Fred Weil
as Ronald J. Quail
as Russell Dodson
as Norwin Meneses
as Rich Kline
as Jerry Ceppos
as Ricky Ross
as Quail's Girlfriend
as L.A. Sheriff
as DEA Agent
as Bob
as Ian Webb
as Eric Webb
as Christine Webb
as Sacramento Journalist
as Rafael Cornejo
as San Francisco Judge
as DEA Agent Jones
as Danilo Blandon
as Watts Girl
as Ricky Ross Trial Judge
as Guard
as Hansjorg Baier
as Soldier
as DEA Agent Miller
as Anonymous Agent
as Marc Mansfield
as Leo Wolinsky
as Los Angeles Times Editor
as Richard Zuckerman
as Washington Post Editor
as Doug Farah
as Female Anchor
as San Jose Mercury News Editor
as Detective
as Man in Suit
as Pete
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Critic Reviews for Kill the Messenger
All Critics (125) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (96) | Rotten (29) | DVD (1)
Kill the Messenger does a credible if not dazzling job. In fact, the movie is a lot like the reporting that inspired it: a good introduction to a diabolically tangled tale.
Clichés and obviousness litter the movie.
It's oversold and under-reported. But Kill the Messenger flies high on Jeremy Renner's all-stops-out performance as 1990s-era journalist Gary Webb. Flaws aside, the film inspires a moral outrage that feels disconcertingly timely.
The story of a crusading reporter's determined search for truth, "Kill The Messenger" gains its not-inconsiderable power by not being the kind of movie that particular description might lead you to expect.
A resonant journalistic cautionary tale gets packaged as a hokey thriller in Kill the Messenger, a movie with a message that isn't nearly as urgent as it needs to be.
Drugs, government, truths, mustaches. "Kill the Messenger" is an admirable journalism thriller that takes on a lot of big subjects.
Audience Reviews for Kill the Messenger
Kill The Messenger is an intelligent investigative drama that will have you hooked from the start. Gary Webb, a journalist for a smallish news agency, stumbles upon a story which proves the CIA used cocaine profits from Central American drug smugglers to fund the Contra rebels. Never heard about it? Me neither, and in fact when the full report was published it was pushed aside by a scandal involving Bill Clinton. So, nearly a decade later, it's time to explore this intriguing story and fortunately this film is absolutely compelling. Yes, the film is about the CIA's involvement in Nicaragua, but beneath this is an individual who only desires to report the truth. Investigating a story with this much classification and secrecy results in the possibility of endangering both your career and family. But the biggest detriment, is to yourself. We see Gary Webb slowly degrade as the investigation takes its toll on him, he gradually becomes a broken man so transfixed on this job that he risks losing everything else. I found it to be utterly heartbreaking, yet rather relatable. This drama didn't need to include any thrills or chase sequences (in the fear that it becomes an action film), and yet director Michael Cuesta was bold enough to incorporate these tense pursuits. They worked. I was on edge. Why? Because Gary Webb was a well developed character. I felt for him and wanted him to succeed. This, for me, is Jeremy Renner's best performance. Forget about the supporting cast, this was his for the taking and he owned it. Emotional, physical and charismatic. Should've been nominated for more awards. The first half was a slow burner, but it picked up pace as soon as the story was established. The supporting cast were wasted, Winstead was probably the best out of them all but still underused. But due to a powerful central performance, this film was elevated to an enthralling level of intrigue. Oh, and the final screen texts detailing the aftermath? It crushed me inside. Gutted.
Super Reviewer
After an engaging first half that trusts our ability to put together the details of this whole affair as we follow its character, this strong political drama is sadly weakened by some annoying clichés, including that of him becoming an "obsessed man who moves away from his family."
Super Reviewer
Could have been far better had they focused more on the investigative journalism than Webb's family life. It sort of distracts when it turns from a taut thriller to a humdrum family drama. Agreed that some footage ought to be given to that part, but it should have been quite limited. Maybe here too, the editor is to be blamed!!
Super Reviewer
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