The Messenger: a very touching and powerful examination of the emotional impact of soldier's deaths on their family members. The Messenger tells the tale of two Casualty Notification Officers, played by Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson, who are assigned to inform families of the deaths of their loved ones. The film deals regularly with the hard emotional toll that war takes upon the lives of both soldiers and their families. Without giving to much away, the film's true story begins when the main character, Will Montgomery (Ben Foster), begins to develop a relationship the widow of a dead soldier, Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), which slowly becomes more and more intimate. The film focuses not only on this relationship but also on the toll that war has on soldiers and their families. The film's amazing screenplay is one aspect that will stick out to any viewer, the second main point to note about this are the amazing performances delivered by all the actors in the film.
Ahh…scriptwriting, what a beautiful craft, the ability to have ideas and visions come off paper and manifest themselves beautifully on screen. The Messenger proves this point, the screenplay is written in one of the most carefully and artfully crafted manner this reviewer has ever seen. Everything from the bawling Woody Harrelson to the outwardly calm but inwardly distressed Samantha Morton help speak volumes for the amazing prowess in which this film is written. Everything seems intentional, nothing seems just to be thrown in to help move the plot along or keep thing interesting. This attention to detail helps to make the theme of the film, which you will have to decide for yourself, all that much more apparent.
The acting in The Messenger is superb by my standards, all of the actors are incredibly believable and emotionally powerful in their roles. Ben Foster plays the role of the disturbed soldier who is trying to regain his sense of humanity amazingly well. His performance is academy-award-worthy in every sense of the word, he plays his role with such realism that at points it the thought that you're watching a movie slips your mind, and you end up connecting with his character on multiple levels. The same goes for the other actors in the film, both Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton deliver wonderful performances as well, both of whom manage to effect the viewer quite heavily (i.e. each character managed to bring me to tears). Another note-worthy performance is the cameo appearance of actor Steve Buscemi, who plays the father of a fallen soldier whom Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson of his son's death in combat. He makes what few lines and scenes that he appears almost if not better than some of the leading actor's performances (watch for yourself and you'll see what I'm saying).
What this movie comes to do is this: war no matter distant or far-removed effects people here at home whether you personally experience it or not, and entire families are destroyed by the deaths of loved ones. Soldiers themselves pay a heavy price for what they've done, everything from emotional disorders to not even being able function in everyday society are unfortunate norms among veterans. I highly highly recommend this movie, " 'nuff said"
Note: The Messenger has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for Woody Harrelson's performance as Tony Stone
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