The Messenger

Directed By: Oren Moverman

Written By: Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman

Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, and Samantha Morton

Director of Photography: Bobby Bukowski, Editor: Alexander Hall, Production Designer: Stephen Beatrice, Original Music: Nathan Larson

Rated: R for language and some sexual content/nudity.

    Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery may have the worst job possible in the army. While he’s never shot at or ever put in harm’s way, Will has to do the most psychologically damaging job: informing loved one their family members have been killed in action. Co-writer and director Oren Moverman’s The Messenger explores the human impact at home due to the current wars by taking a fascinating premise of the cost of human life. Unfortunately, Mr. Moverman, along with co-writer Alessandro Camon, leave a truly great premise hanging in a confusing and simply uninspiring plot. And while the acting talents of Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson make the material work, I often found myself confused why The Messenger wanted to tell the story it thought was so important when there were so many better ways to tell it.

    Mr. Foster, a great character actor from films like 3:10 to Yuma, shines as a war veteran who spends his last few months delivering the bad news to people. Mr. Harrelson, more controlled than his other performances from this year, plays Will’s mentor, Stone, who shows him the procedure of delivering the news. These sequences, which were improvised by Mr. Moverman’s cast, are the best and most harrowing. While the handheld camera can be annoying, the deep emotions that hit in these scenes are brutal and hard-hitting.

    However, The Messenger strays when it turns more toward Will and Stone and how their lives fall apart. Its not that these sequences are not interesting, but the structure that it takes is downright confusing and uninspired. Most frustrating is a subplot involving Will and a woman who has lost her husband, played by Samantha Morton. Both Mr. Foster and Ms. Morton are strong actors, but seem lost about why their relationship goes the specific way it does.

    Mr. Foster and Mr. Harrelson salvage most of the film by creating unique characters who have been brutalized by their remarks. Mr. Foster, with his secluded personality and quiet voice, is a revelation to watch throughout the film. He channels both pain from his experiences in Iraq as well as from trying to detach himself from these emotions. Mr. Harrelson plays a somewhat opposite, acting comedic and offbeat as a defensive mechanism to his profession. He provides the more bombastic performance, which some might prefer, though both are truly powerful in this complex situation.

    The Messenger has the potential to say a lot about the state of affairs with the wars in this country, but misses the mark by providing an uninteresting structure to the human aspect of war. Mr. Moverman has provided a stunning premise to his film, but simply left his characters lost in the darkness.