Review of The Messenger (2009) by Joseph C — 24 May 2010

And the award for the worst job in the world goes to: Casualty Notification Team. They are the members of the military who come to your house and notify the NOK (Next of Kin) that their wife/husband/son/daughter has been killed in action. They face screams, spit, kindness and down right anger, but yet, they have to continue their predetermined speech about how the Secretary of the Army regrets to inform them about the death of their loved one. The worst part is: everyone knows why they're at the house.

The Messenger is really two movies in one. The first half deals with SSgt Will Montgomery, a soldier who was injured in combat and has three months left in his contract, who is assigned to the team until the contract expires. His "CO" is CAPT Tony Stone, a previously enlisted soldier who wanted to get out but was given a commission and "no one dared [him] to get out". CAPT Stone may or may not have been in combat, and it shows when he goes to deliver the news. Stone shows no compassion, no emotion. The rules prevent this. "You do not touch the NOK" Montgomery, on the other hand, has just come back from war and has seen his friends die. He cares about giving the news, he wants to help.

The second half of the movie deals with the relationship the two messengers build. Stone is a recovering alcoholic and Montgomery just got the news that the girl he loves is getting married to someone else, his good friend. They go out to bars, they pick up women and occasionally get into fights. This part of the movie also deals with the inappropriate relationship Montgomery develops with a recent widow, Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), one whom he delivered the news to. Each of them struggle in these relationships: Stone fights relapsing back to alcohol due to him lacking emotion, Montgomery breaking every rule in the manual about relationships with the NOK, and Olivia trying to handle the death of her husband and her new feelings towards Will.

This is a very powerful movie. It focuses on both the messengers, but also the recipients of the message. Stone shows no compassion as he briefs (and I mean briefs) the family. Montgomery wants to hold them, to listen. Is Stone that much of an insensitive jerk, or has he learned to bottle up every emotion and push it so far down inside him that nothing can come out? This is the struggle that they both face, eventually leading up to the climatic scene between the two of them where it all makes sense.

Woody Harrelson is one of those Hollywood actors that no one takes seriously. He's had his ups and downs, mostly downs when it comes to the public. Put all of that aside cause this dude can act! He plays Stone perfectly...puts on a most deserved Best Supporting Actor nomination performance (and probably would have won had Christoph Waltz not wow'd the entire world). Going into the movie I was curious as to why the Supporting Actor nod and not Best Actor nod. The answer is pretty easy after watching the movie. Ben Foster as SSgt Montgomery is the movie.

Before 2007 I had no idea who Ben Foster was. Then 30 Days of Night came out and he creeped his way into our minds (he was the loyal human messenger of the coming destruction). Then he was in the underrated Pandorum, playing the hero trying to save the ship from a futuristic version of mad-cow disease. Now, in 2009, he shows us that he can act. He wins over the audience as you watch him struggle with relationships. Does he really care about Olivia or is he just trying to ease her pain, while at the same time ease his about his own losses? You can feel his pain while he is on screen.

I reiterate, this is a very powerful movie. It makes you wonder how you would act in their situations, both as the recipient and the messenger. Either way, it's going to ruin your day/week/month/year/life. If/When you do watch this movie, I recommend watching the biography Notification that is accompanied with it. It can be found under Special Features and actually interviews both parties. If you can make it through either the movie or the documentary without crying, my hats off to you cause you're a lot stronger than me.