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The Messenger |  | Director: Oren Moverman
Actors: Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone
Studio: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $5.92
as of 7/31/2010 12:16 MDT details
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New (36) Used (27) from $5.92
Seller: goHastings
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 2891
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 0
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 896602002180
UPC: 896602002180
EAN: 0896602002180
ASIN: B0036RPM8Y
Theatrical Release Date: 2010
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Iraq war hero falls in love with the wife of fallen soldier.
Amazon.com
If the army has a second-worst job (it goes without saying that combat is by far the scariest and most horrific), it has to be the one depicted in director-cowriter Oren Moverman's The Messenger, which draws us into the lives of the soldiers whose grim duty it is to inform next of kin that a loved one has died in the conflict in Iraq. Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster, best known for his recurring role in Six Feet Under) has just returned home, injured, decorated as a hero for saving several other soldiers, and only three months from being discharged, when he is assigned to Casualty Notification (described by his commanding officer as "a sacred mission"). Paired with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), a tightly wound, by-the-book veteran, Will soon discovers just how excruciating their job is, as a series of wrenchingly powerful scenes shows them delivering the worst possible news to spouses, parents, and others. The responses vary--stunned disbelief, weeping hysterics, becoming physically ill, even spitting in Will's face--but when Stone and Montgomery encounter Olivia (Samantha Morton), her reaction to being told she is now a widow is so dignified that Will, whose girlfriend (Jena Malone) found another man while he was at war, starts to quietly court her, in defiance of strict army regulations. The acting by those in both major and minor roles is uniformly excellent. Foster and Morton's scenes together are tender, tentative, and poignant without a trace of cheap sentimentality; and as Stone and Montgomery gradually bond, the former confronts his own demons without the scenery-chewing that has characterized many of Harrelson's recent roles. Bolstered by a script (by Moverman and Alessandro Camon) that also addresses the difficulty that soldiers in general have after returning home from the war, The Messenger, while certainly not an easy watch, ranks among the best movies of 2009. --Sam Graham
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 38
 Why is this film overlooked by critics and awards? January 21, 2010
Ron (Berkeley, CA USA)
31 out of 31 found this review helpful
With the exception of Woody Harrelson getting nominated for Best Supporting Actor, THE MESSENGER has not been getting the attention that it deserves from the critics and awards. This is the film that should've been nominated for Best Picture (Drama) by the Golden Globe Awards. This is the film that should've been nominated for Best Picture by the Broadcast Film Critics Awards. With the exception of the Independent Spirit Awards, THE MESSENGER is being grossly overlooked. I think it may be because it is not released by a major distributor. And it is overshadowed by THE HURT LOCKER. To tell you the truth, I have seen both films, and I'll take THE MESSENGER over THE HURT LOCKER anyday. THE HURT LOCKER was more suspenseful, but THE MESSENGER did a much better job examining the human condition from both the soldiers and the civilians' point of view. In a way it reminded me of a contemporary version of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT because it depicted the horrors of the war, and the effects that it had on both the soldiers and their loved ones. I highly recommend this film. It is one of the best films of 2009. One last thing--it is about time Woody Harrelson wins an Oscar for his performance as an actor. He is incredible in this film.
Timeless, powerful, deeply moving. December 20, 2009
Miles D. Moore (Alexandria, VA USA)
27 out of 30 found this review helpful
I have seldom seen a more moving or seamless antiwar film than Oren Moverman's "The Messenger." Its Iraq War theme makes it absolutely up to the minute, yet its portrayal of the raw grief that war creates echoes throughout human history. In some ways, "The Messenger" serves as a companion piece to Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker." "The Hurt Locker" portrays the effect of the Iraq War on combat soldiers; "The Messenger" concentrates more on its effect on the loved ones waiting at home.
Ben Foster, who was so excellent in "3:10 to Yuma" and "Six Feet Under," exceeds even those achievements as Sgt. Will Montgomery, an Iraq War soldier recovering from grievous physical and psychic wounds who receives the unwelcome assignment of notifying the survivors of soldiers killed in action. Making the assignment even harder is Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), a hard-nosed military lifer who commands Montgomery to stick to the script: never touch a survivor, and never express more than the most perfunctory sympathy. Stone, a recovering alcoholic, has his own problems: a veteran of the First Persian Gulf War, he never saw any combat worth the name, and suffers a world of guilt he tries to hide by playing the martinet and chasing every skirt he sees. Meanwhile, Montgomery, who has been jilted by his high-school sweetheart (Jena Malone), starts to develop feelings--totally against the rules--for a young military widow (Samantha Morton).
Featuring sharp dialogue and brilliant performances (including one by Steve Buscemi as the father of a fallen soldier), "The Messenger" is a powerfully moving cinematic experience.
The best modern war film I've seen March 4, 2010
Carrie LaGree (Albany, NY)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The Messenger is the story of Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, played by Ben Foster, a wounded soldier who has returned to the base and is placed on the notification team until the time of his discharge. Colonol Dorsett, played by Woody Harrelson in his best performance to date, shows him the ropes. The two are an unlikely duo, and despite both being combat veterans (Dorsett in Desert Storm), this assignment provides a very different stress. The two soldiers are on call every hour of every day. When a soldier dies, they race to notify the family before they hear about their love one's death somewhere else. Given their unique jobs, they spend more and more of their time together even when they're not working.
The extended supporting cast members of this film are amazing. Their notifications are met with a variety of results, as we all process grief and shock differently. The supporting actors and actresses have one scene to deliver their messages of despair and grief. The film is a fascinating look into the human psyche, and it's the best war movie I've ever seen. It's a deep, thoughtful, uncomfortable look at the effects of war on individuals. Woody Harrelson was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but I'm surprised Samantha Morton was not nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
The Messenger is not always an easy film to watch, but it's well worth the time. It's not a movie I want to watch over and over again, but it a film I will buy and watch once every year or two. Mostly, I'll pass along my dvd to anyone who will watch it. Everyone has jumped on The Hurt Locker bandwagon, but The Messenger is a better film. It's smarter, more nuanced and a more fascinating look at this war. I was surprised when it wasn't nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. There's no question it is one of the five best films of the year.
Worthy of Serious Viewers May 4, 2010
Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I take with great seriousness some of the critical reviews, but on balance have to come down in favor of five stars and an enthusiastic recommendation of this movie and its actors. While I know little of current military casualty notification procedures, over-all this movie resonates with my own past as a Marine Corps infantry officer (40 years ago) and I found several things compelling:
1) America does not see enough of the down side of war. From 935 documented lies by the Bush-Cheney Administration to stark ignorance and corruption as the Obama-Biden Administration sells out to the military-intelligence-industrial pork complex, to the absolute and utterly immoral concealment from the public of the actual number of amputees including many many multiple amputees and the rising number of suicides, I find the disconnect between the public and reality to be catastrophic.
2) For me, these two characters are portrayed superbly, in detail. In my own life as a former spy we were obscenely proud of having the highest rates of alcoholism, adultery, divorce, and suicide in the US Government, and I have 19 professional suicides and 1 personal suicide in my life to date. The depth of the pain felt by those who survive was well-portrayed here.
3) The humanity of the protagonist and of the surviving widow, and the nuances of how that developed, were fully developed and expertly acted. This movie held my attention in detail for the duration.
With a tip of the hat to Richard (first comment, recommend reading), here is a tight recommendation that comes closer than my own:
Taking Chance
See also:
We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition)
Gardens of Stone
Hamburger Hill
Apocalypse Now
Lord of War (Widescreen)
A Must-See that will stay with you forever May 16, 2010
Andre Heeger (Germany)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you saw Black Hawk Down and The Hurt Locker you might have gotten an idea of modern warfare - what the Soldiers are going through on a daily basis. Although Hollywood made, these films do not glorify the violence or the people; they just get you there.
Of course watching a movie - that is any movie - is nothing close to the real thing. But at least some films try to transmit an accurate picture of the situation, including the angst, shock, anger, and demonstrate the professionalism that so often is the Soldiers' only way out.
This one takes the war home, into the living rooms of the family members, lovers and children of the men and women who will never return.
No guns or battles, just pain and shock - but just as dramatic as the two previously mentioned. And just like them it shows us a part of the war most of us don't know anything about. Magazine articles, TV news and what not - nothing comes close to the scenes we're shown here where families are destroyed and lives forever changed.
I feel we need to watch this, each and every one of us, so we better understand the next time we talk about war.
Without the Army's framework, Woody Harrelson's character would probably have ended up on the wrong side of the road. Married three times, AA, frustrated about having missed out on the real battle experience, it's his job to deliver the horrible message. He get's Ben Foster put to his side as a partner. A War-hero with his own demons to fight.
Sure, this is a fictional tale, with the characters' personalities adding to the drama. But with the excellent camera work and the fabulous script the story hits home from the first scene on.
And when you think it's boring to watch these men deliver their message over and over again - think again. These two actors - and the others - are perfectly cast with each of them delivering award worthy performances of the highest order.
The Blu-ray comes packed in a plastic-free box and includes the dvd version on a separate disc. Another plus: the disc loads and there are no disturbing commercials or other previews messing with the experience. Press play and the film "rolls".
The picture is crisp and very detailed. A few night scenes lack depth in the blacks (didn't disturb me much) but all in all it's a great disc.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 38
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