Review of The Messenger (2009) by Jeff W — 02 Jun 2010

In 2009's 'The Messenger', Ben Foster portrays Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, an insomniac war hero in the home stretch of his Army enlistment. Three months before his service is up, he is assigned to casualty notification duty. His mission is to inform next of kin about the passing of their loved ones. He is paired with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), a man whose lack of humanity, along with a chiseled self-discipline worthy of his surname, makes him a custom fit for this detail. With each home visited, Montgomery finds himself unexpectedly reconnecting with his own humanity, which was stripped away from him during his time in the war, as well as a lingering failed relationship. After informing a woman named Olivia (played Samantha Morton) that her husband is dead, he becomes inexplicably drawn to her.

I found this movie emotionally engaging on multiple levels. Each scene where a family is informed of a loved one's death is sensational in its sensibility, and each will rip your heart straight from your chest. Its repeated themes of having to start again -- willingly or otherwise -- add layers of depth to the film.

Harrleson was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in this film, and deservedly so. He commands every scene that he is in, slowly showing us the soul of a man who has been damaged. Ben Foster's strong performance deserves its share of recognition, also. His stoic portrayal of Montgomery, struggling with his current place in life, kept you involved in the movie. Steve Buscemi, whose career has recently turned to small, dramatic roles, portrays a father who loses a son, and he earns his dramatic stripes during the movie. I'd really like to see Buscemi take on similar yet larger roles in the future.

I loved the writing of this film. Much attention was paid to detail throughout the movie, and the character development throughout was extraordinary. This is not a political statement, it is simply a very strong story, and an original one at that. The direction of Oren Moverman deserves mention here, also. There are some excellent photographic shots (angles, usage of light, etc.) throughout the film, and he absolutely got everything possible from every single actor in the cast.

'The Messenger' is an emotional journey of a movie that I give the highest possible rating to. I rarely give out 100% on RT, as I believe that percentage should be reserved for films that are either classics or instant classics (such as 'The Godfather' or 'The Dark Knight'). I sincerely felt that this film deserved the 100%, and it certainly deserves much more of an audience than it found during its theatrical run. There were ten films nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award last year. 'The Messenger' should have been one of them.