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The Messenger
| Released |
17 June 2011 |
| Director |
Oren Moverman |
Starring
|
Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Eamonn Walker, Yaya Da Costa, Lisa Joyce, Steve Buscemi |
Writer(s)
|
Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman |
Producer(s)
|
Mark Gordon, Lawrence Inglee, Zach Miller |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
113 minutes |
| Genre |
Drama |
| Rating |
15A |
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A special delivery.
At one point in The Messenger, a character offers a toast to the armed forces, declaring that the American people still support the troops, regardless of how they feel about the war itself. It is a view shared by the cinema that has arisen out of America’s military conflicts over the past few years. Maybe after more time has elapsed we will see combative political statements emerging from Hollywood but for the moment, the dominant trend seems to be for character studies of the soldiers themselves. Oren Moverman’s The Messenger follows this pattern, having no overt stance on war itself; instead providing an intimate character study of two very different types of soldier and how life in service has altered them as men.
This it does exceedingly well, mainly thanks to the wonderful pairing of Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson in the lead roles. With only three months service left, Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Foster) is taken out of active combat after he is injured in a firefight. Back in the U.S., he is assigned to the Casualty Notification Team alongside Captain Tony Stone (Harrelson), a wavering alcoholic who never saw much combat. Together they are tasked with personally visiting the families of troops killed in action. During the course of their work, Will becomes drawn to a young widow played by Samantha Morton but still struggles adjusting to civilian life and to this new role, which he thinks himself ill-equipped to carry out.
Because of the subject matter, The Messenger is at times difficult to watch but it is more than just a litany of grief. At the heart of the film is the relationship that grows between the two men, which treads the line between supportive and destructive. Foster and Harrelson both excel in their roles and provide great contrast for each other to work against. Overman’s approach allows the characters room to breathe, using long takes and a voyeuristic camera to add an air of realism- an impressive debut.
The promise of doom and gloom may make The Messenger appear a bad choice for a bit of Saturday night entertainment- maybe so but it is an engrossing and ultimately rewarding watch with two compelling, must-see performances at its heart.
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Linda O’Brien |
