Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5
I've found that the best war movies often contain the fewest scenes of combat. Stanley Kubrick's anti-war masterpiece Paths of Glory has only one, and it is limited. The rest is a battle of morality. The same can be said for The Messenger, the directing debut of former journalist Oren Moverman. There is just one actual battle scene, and we only see it in our mind's eye. It is described with captivating passion by Ben Foster's character, and is probably the most dialogue he has in a single scene.
Foster plays brooding Army Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, who was wounded in Iraq and sent home three months early. He has one last date with his girlfriend Kelly (Jena Malone) before she officially leaves him for someone else. As at every turn in his life, he pretends to not be hurt, but we can see the pain in his eyes. The Army notices this seemingly impervious shell he wears, and commissions him to the Casualty Notification service, delivering the bad news to fallen soldiers' next of kin. Will is partnered with the experienced Captain Tony Stone (Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson), a recovering alcoholic who has learned it's best to do this job by the book and not think about it. Will starts off just hoping to do it right, but quickly begins to question the ethics of their merciless duty. He forms an unlikely (not to mention prohibited) bond with Olivia (Samantha Morton), a grieving widow with a small child.
The Messenger is like an extended epilogue to other war films, a sort of coda. It isn't directly an anti-war film, but it expresses the pain of war and death from all sides. The scenes where Will and Captain Stone bring the news to the families are each original, heartbreaking and flawless, featuring strong minor performances (including one from Steve Buscemi). We sympathize with the bereaved, but can feel the frustration of the news bearers. I almost wish the film had been limited to scenes like these, but perhaps they wouldn't have been able to keep it up.
Ben Foster, on the rise as one of our strongest performers, here channels an unbelievable amount of De Niro. They even start to look alike. This is generally a very quiet role, however, and Foster must balance the De Niro with the loneliness, the frustration, and the fear in his eyes. The result is awkward at times, but would be impossible for most actors. Honestly, it is an award-worthy performance, but its effectiveness is somewhat diminished by how much we remove ourselves from the film to think about it. In many ways, the film is more of a study of the Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton characters, and it is their performances that dominate. Harrelson, at his finest, is faultlessly riveting in both his fury and weakness, and Morton gives her supporting role the magnitude of a leading one.
The originality of The Messenger is astounding. In a lesser film, Will would be hesitant and/or insightful from the beginning, and Captain Stone would be one-dimensionally firm. Instead, Will tries to hide his thoughts and feelings behind disciplined ambition, and Stone, veteran to this job but not to armed combat, is capable of not just stringency but humor, frailty and shame. This is a deeply resonant film, occasionally even funny at its subejcts' saddest moments, but ultimately quite moving.
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