Review of The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) by Adam D — 21 Jun 2013

Recently rewatched this film and found myself drawn back into the world of France during the Hundred Years War. The film is especially brutal, but war in the Middle Ages, as well as life itself, was quite brutal.

There are some effects that I found extraordinary (a cannonball being rolled into a mass of people during a siege) and the film is beautifully photographed. The historical accuracy seems pretty good after post-viewing research and I really enjoyed the philosophical discussions with her conscience (Hoffman) towards the end.

Was Joan divine or mad? Who knows? And the script leaves her divinity in question, as it should. Jovovich is frequently pilloried for her portrayal of Joan, and I think this is unfair. The historical Joan was more of a morale booster than a warrior, but also a fairly decent tactician without any formal schooling.

Ms Jovovich showed this side as well as the manic zealotry of a woman possessed by a spiritual mission. I think this is her best work since her small part in another underappreciated film, "Chaplin".

Overall, the film was enjoyable and humor was interspersed frequently enough to lessen the weighty battle and inquisition scenes. This is something that Luc Besson did well in "The Fifth Element", "The Professional" and "La Femme Nikita", and he deserves more credit for his abilites.

For fans of historical dramas, I would definitely recommend "The Messenger", even though the English are portrayed as cartoonishly evil and the French as irascibly good.