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Friday, December 4, 2009

Film / Film Reviews / News The Messenger: Special delivery

Posted By on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 12:07 PM

filmmessreview

By Matt Brunson

THE MESSENGER

***1/2

DIRECTED BY Oren Moverman

STARS Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson

Coming up with a compelling hook is half the sale, and writer-director Oren Moverman has found one with The Messenger, a drama that looks at the wartime experience from a fresh perspective. Yet nothing about Moverman's angle feels gimmicky or sensational — instead, his movie is honest and heartfelt, a justified tribute that pays more than merely the usual obligatory lip service to our men and women in uniform.

Writing his script with Alessandro Camon, Moverman has chosen to focus on the stateside officers who are assigned to the US Army's Casualty Notification unit and ordered to inform family members that their loved ones have died in overseas action. The newest recruit to this unenviable position is Will Montgomery (Ben Foster), who's just returned from Iraq branded a hero for displaying courage under fire. Will is placed under veteran soldier Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), who's tasked to impart his limitless wisdom on his young charge. Tony rattles off a thorough checklist — take care not to use certain morbid words, never touch the bereaved, and so on — but that preparation can only go so far when faced with all manner of kinfolk, each guaranteed to react differently than the last.

The sequences in which the pair make their rounds are fascinating, with some family members (like the father played by Steve Buscemi) lashing out in anger at these bearers of bad news while others simply collapse in a heap on the floor. The film also manages to inject some romance into the mix when Will, perhaps unwisely, finds himself drawn to a woman (Samantha Morton) who has just lost her husband. These scenes are tastefully executed and never shy away from the moral implications of the situation (Morton's Olivia warns Will that everyone will accuse him of preying on her vulnerability and label her a "slut"), but the real power derives from the relationship between Will and Tony, two men who approach their assignments differently yet eventually find common ground. Simply put, Foster is a revelation, while Harrelson has arguably never been better. It's their exemplary performances, combined with Moverman's confident handling of rich material, that make The Messenger worthy of our undivided attention.

* Want to see The Messenger for free? Win free movie passes at our Fun & Free Stuff site.

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