The Messenger (2009)

Sometimes wars are a necessary evil. You regularly see the images in the news or in movies and sometimes forget that there are men and women who choose to fight in a conflict. One of things that is certain in such a situation is that there will be people who will die fighting. When this happens the army wants to inform the next of kin about it. Of course they want to do this before the next of kin hear it through the news or read it online. For this task messengers are used, who will have to tell the bad news. Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) and Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) are two people who have to perform this difficult job.

The movie manages to show the subject of informing the ones that are left behind in a very touching way. The actors that play the loved ones of the victim do this convincing, heartbreaking way. The reaction to the news is different for each person. Some react very calm and other attack Stone and Montgomery.

The two messengers themselves also have their own issues. Ben Foster acts terrific and shows the emotions he has to deal with. Despite Stone telling him that he has to break the news without showing any feelings, it’s hard for Montgomery to do so, which of course leads to friction between the two.

After the Hurt Locker showed what kind of emotions soldiers have on the battlefield, this movie show what happens after someone has died. The result is an interesting story. The movie has a lot of impact on the viewer. By just showing the emotions of the people involved the viewer won’t be able to not feel affected by them. When you manage to do that like this movie does, you know it’s well made.

Score: 9