MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

The Messenger Rated R

On Blue-ray and DVD

Directed by Oren Moverman.  Starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson.

Photo © Oscilloscope Pitures
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

Capt. Tony Stone (Harrelson) is in the business of delivering bad news to people.  His job is to tell wives and parents that their sons and daughters have died while serving overseas.  And, since the soldiers are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of these deaths come from exploding devices and sniper fire – unexpected and unfair. 

Capt. Stone is assigned Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery (Foster) as a partner.  Will is back home from Iraq after suffering injuries himself and finishing his last three months of active duty.  He has much to learn. He is instructed to keep things professional, with no touching or hugging of family members.

The Messenger is a character study of these two soldiers, their relationship with one another, and their emotional struggles stateside.  Harrelson’s performance was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and it is a quiet change of pace for him.  Foster is equally fine, conveying Will’s inner pain and more than a little confusion about what to do with his life. 

The film is at its best when it shares the officers’ encounters with grieving families and some of the unexpected places where grace is found.  But mind the pitchforks.  The Messenger has a lot of swearing and a couple of non-erotic sex scenes.

Pitchfork/Halo Ratings:

Three halos. A compassionate character study about the aftermath of military service, told without political bias.
Three picthforks. A lot of swearing, drinking, and messing around, with brief nudity.

Reviewer’s Note:  Since the films that are making it into our neighborhood theaters are less interesting each week, I will be supplementing my reviews of theatrical films with reviews of overlooked Blu-rays and DVDS, as well as films that are available on demand from Netflix and your cable boxes.  You are welcome to suggest titles to me that you feel deserve reviewing.  

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