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The Messenger (2009/I) More at IMDbPro »

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The Messenger (2009) -- A soldier (Foster) struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer (Morton).
The Messenger (2009) -- Hard-hitting trailer for this drama about soldiers
The Messenger (2009) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Messenger (2009) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)
The Messenger (2009) -- MovieMaze.de - Trailer (Quicktime & Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
8.5/10   334 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 28% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Oren Moverman
Writers (WGA):
Alessandro Camon (written by) &
Oren Moverman (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Messenger on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Drama | Romance | War
Plot:
An American soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer. | add synopsis
Awards:
4 wins & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
NOT a war movie; NOT a movie about an ethical dilemma more (4 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ben Foster ... Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery

Jena Malone ... Kelly

Eamonn Walker ... Colonel Stuart Dorsett

Woody Harrelson ... Captain Tony Stone

Yaya DaCosta ... Monica Washington
Portia ... Mrs. Burrell

Lisa Joyce ... Emily

Steve Buscemi ... Dale Martin

Peter Francis James ... Dr. Grosso

Samantha Morton ... Olivia Pitterson

Paul Diomede ... Motorcycle Cop
Jahmir Duran-Abreau ... Matt Pitterson
Gaius Charles ... Recruiter Brown
Brendan Sexton III ... Recruiter Olson
Brian Adam DeJesus ... Teenager #1
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity.
Runtime:
Germany:105 min (Berlin International Film Festival)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Certification:
USA:R
Filming Locations:
Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Sgt. Brian Scott, who was training to deploy to Iraq at Ft. Dix in New Jersey and was a technical advisor in this film, was subsequently injured in an IED attack in Baghdad. more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
NOT a war movie; NOT a movie about an ethical dilemma, 25 October 2009
9/10
Author: ppazniokas from Northern NJ

I was fortunate enough to see this at the recent NY Drama Critics showcase, where both the director (Mr. Moverman) and a co-star (Woody Harrelson) participated in after-show Q&A. First of all, the film is superb - but the summaries I've seen so far do not do justice to what the movie is really about. Sure there are ethical dilemmas, sure there are soldiers who have returned from Iraq. But the great strength of this film is its focus on individual human beings and their reaction to humans' most important concerns: life, death and love. Oren Moverman - accomplishing this so beautifully, accurately and subtly in a small-budget film - is to be congratulated. Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster and Samantha Morton are all magically on the same wavelength in their performances. And the writing (by Camon and Moverman) acknowledges the fact that reasonably intelligent people might be watching... people who don't need every little detail spelled out. Oh yes - I should mention that there's a lot of humor interspersed throughout. The result of all this? The people you meet in this film will stay with you for a very long time - and you'll be glad for that.

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