In honor or Memorial Day we chose to watch The Messenger. It is important to remember that no war is without its casualties and Memorial Day gives us in impetus to stop and honor all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
The Messenger centers on the lives of two soldiers who notify families when their loved ones die in war. Woody Harrelson plays Tony, the older, wiser veteran, while Ben Foster plays Will, recently injured in battle and back in the states to finish his tour of duty.
At first Will seems to hate everything and everyone. While away fighting, his girlfriend became engaged to another man, his body is slowly recovering from his injuries and he just doesn’t like Tony much. As the movie progresses, you see that Will doesn’t hate everything, he’s so afraid of losing things he loves that it’s easier to have nothing than to lose something special.
Tony is battling demons of his own. His life has never reached its potential because he never saw action in war. He spends his life overcompensating for his supposed shortcoming. You have preconceived notions about Woody Harrelson as an actor, but he smashes them with this quietly smoldering role.
In the end both men find ways to relieve the pressure building in their own heads. Unfortunately, some of these methods are unhealthy and make the stress worse in the end. These men are constantly being pulled in two directions; hurt and machismo.
The Messenger gets four and a half stars. The acting is superb and the message is impeccable. It is fascinating to see different families receive the news and the impact of their reactions on the two main characters. My only gripe is that the pacing is a bit slow. I highly recommend The Messenger. It’s a great representation of a modern day war movie.
Michelle D. Kieffaber
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