Review of The Messenger (2009) by Erno K — 24 May 2010

The shittiest job in existence, right after telemarketing, seems to be the Army's Casualty Notification Service.

Awesome drama. I have never seen such an in-depth look into this particular job, and it was fascinating. All the actors playing the recipients of the titular messages are extremely good, and every reaction is unique but equally touching. Woody is on fire again and can do no wrong in movies at the moment. The dude from Six Feet Under (Ben Foster) gives a riveting performance as well, and there really isn't a bad actor to be found in the film. I read somewhere that Foster's performances are a bit too intense at times, and I totally understand that claim now.

The only part I didn't like was the one in the middle, where both leads are just fucking around, acting all stupid and drinking beer. Straight after that though, the best scene in the movie presents itself, with one guy telling a chilling war story in one take, so I was quickly drawn in again.

A fascinating story about two flawed individuals that do important work and how said work inevitably weighs on them.