Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity.
Directed by Oren Moverman (his first feature film)
Starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton
A war movie with no explosions, no blood and no political agenda.
Partnered with a hard-line officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) plays a battle-scarred war hero home from Iraq and newly assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. He faces this formidable mission while seeking comfort and healing back on the home front when he falls for the wife of a fallen soldier (Samantha Morton).
There are plenty of films that rely on the special effects to rescue an average script or others where the story has to make up for bad acting; The Messenger is not one of those. There are no CGI characters or big explosions; it is all about the story and the actors.
The story, like the job, is simple on the surface; but there is incredible depth and complexity when you take a closer look. It may not be pretty and there may not be bows on every storyline, but I for one am glad I got that closer look.
As far as the actors, Woody and Ben are both amazing. They both play characters who tell the next of kin that their loved one was recently killed in action. What drives them? What haunts them? Or course I tried to imagine dealing with that kind of grief on a daily basis without God…but I couldn’t. There is also an amazing scene between the two actors that rivals “the story” scene from Jaws. Yeah I said it.
Director, Oren Moverman keeps the pace moving and chooses some very interesting camera shots. In a recent interview he said, “The truth of the matter is that any soldier would recognize the fact that the shortest part of the war is the war itself. And if you survive it, you live with it for the rest of your life.” He got it and was able to communicate that message in a powerful way. I’m sure we will be seeing more from him.
Although it was a “bumpy ride” along the way, it was definitely one of the better films I have seen – it is Theater Worthy.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There were a few scenes of sex/nudity and plenty of F-bombs, so it’s easy for me to say no to the kids.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
