The Messenger

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The Messenger

R,

2009,

1h 52m,

Drama/

Romance/

War

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Watchlist

Watchlist

90%

158 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

158 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After being injured in Iraq, soldier Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) returns home to finish the rest of his tour of duty in the Army's Casualty Notification service. Teamed with veteran officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), Will tries to come to terms with his own pain while dealing with the cold realities of his new mission. Will finds himself in the grip of an ethical problem when he becomes involved with Olivia (Samantha Morton), the widow of a fallen soldier.

Critics Consensus

A dark but timely subject is handled deftly by writer/directer Owen Moverman and superbly acted by Woody Harrleson and Ben Foster.

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Ed Koch

The Atlantic

Jan 16, 2018

An extraordinary anti-war film that does not engage in polemics. The Messenger's extreme effectiveness is due to the brilliant acting of Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson.

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Alissa Wilkinson

Paste Magazine

Apr 12, 2016

6.8/10

It is relentlessly bleak, even in its lighter moments. The downbeat tone is wearying. These days, we just need some hope.

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Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

Oct 20, 2014

[Foster and Harrelson's] interplay, on the job (ruining the day of one unfortunate person after the next) and off...provides the backbone of this erratically paced film.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Aug 10, 2022

Exceptional film. [Full review in Spanish]

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Nov 29, 2020

6/10

A slice-of-life bit of realism from first time director Oren Moverman that doesn't have enough order or enough Woody Harrelson.

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

Jun 18, 2020

Foster dazzles as a young man defusing the rage within.

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Finn W

Feb 26, 2019

A study of various people and their ways of coping with loss, grief and bonding convinces mainly through its excellent ensemble of characters and some memorable scenes.

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Finn G

Aug 7, 2018

The simplicity of the story does not ruin the movie, if anything it enhances the acting and the dialogs.

Ron P

May 28, 2018

Chose this for my annual Memorial Day war movie. Definitely an interesting and educational take on the aftermath of war. Superb acting all around. Very dark though. A heavy movie to watch.

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Harry G

Apr 29, 2018

Better than Rampart (also written/directed by Moverman and starring Harrelson) but still full of problems relating to tone, dialogue, focus, and just a confused script overall. The ingenious premise is let down by the melodramatic material and technical sloppiness which are only elevated so much by the powerful leads. Overall The Messenger is not Rampart dull, but considering what it had going for it, it could have been razor-sharp.

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Luke M

Nov 7, 2017

Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson did a great job in portraying the human side of messenger of griefs. An absolutely essential job but also so so tough to bring news of sorrow to new people everyday. Though the rule is not to get emotionally involved with the grieving NOK to the casualties, the messengers are humans after all. Must be tough for these messengers of grief to get a breather with war raging in the middle east for so many years now with no end in sight. Even now, Trump is pushing his Nato allies to send more soldiers to Afghanistan to fight an unwinnable war that will go on forever.

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Oren Moverman

Director

Ben Foster

Will Montgomery

Woody Harrelson

Tony Stone

Samantha Morton

Olivia Pitterson

Jena Malone

Kelly

Steve Buscemi

Dale Martin

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Synopsis

After being injured in Iraq, soldier Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) returns home to finish the rest of his tour of duty in the Army's Casualty Notification service. Teamed with veteran officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), Will tries to come to terms with his own pain while dealing with the cold realities of his new mission. Will finds himself in the grip of an ethical problem when he becomes involved with Olivia (Samantha Morton), the widow of a fallen soldier.

Director: Oren Moverman
Producer: Benjamin Goldhirsh, Mark Gordon
Screenwriter: Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman
Distributor: Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Co: Sherazade Film Development, Oscilloscope Films, The Mark Gordon Company, Omnilab Media
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 27, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 8, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Runtime: 1h 52m

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