MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 645 this week

The Messenger (I) (2009)

R  |   |  Drama, Romance, War  |  4 December 2009 (USA)
7.2
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.2/10 from 28,332 users   Metascore: 77/100
Reviews: 91 user | 215 critic | 32 from Metacritic.com

An American soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer.

Director:

Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

Watch Now

$0.00 with Prime Video

WATCH NOW
ON DISC

The 25 Most Immersive Worlds in Cinema

Highly immersive cinematic worlds can carry a movie, and we've rounded up the best of the best.

See the full list

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 38 titles
created 11 Sep 2011
 
a list of 35 titles
created 16 Oct 2011
 
a list of 38 titles
created 01 Nov 2011
 
a list of 22 titles
created 31 Aug 2012
 
a list of 46 titles
created 16 May 2014
 

Related Items

Search for "The Messenger" on Amazon.com

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Messenger (2009)

The Messenger (2009) on IMDb 7.2/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Messenger.
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 40 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Rampart (2011)
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.8/10 X  

Set in 1999 Los Angeles, veteran police officer Dave Brown, the last of the renegade cops, works to take care of his family, and struggles for his own survival.

Director: Oren Moverman
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Sigourney Weaver
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A partially idealized film of the controversial pornography publisher and how he became a defender of free speech for all people.

Director: Milos Forman
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton
Brothers I (2009)
Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A young man comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.

Director: Jim Sheridan
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire
Defendor (2009)
Comedy | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Arthur Poppington, a regular man who adopts a superhero persona, known as 'Defendor', combs the city streets at night, in search of his arch-enemy, Captain Industry.

Director: Peter Stebbings
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Kat Dennings, Sandra Oh
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.

Director: Paul Haggis
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker
Transsiberian (2008)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A Trans-Siberian train journey from China to Moscow becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder when an American couple encounters a mysterious pair of fellow travelers.

Director: Brad Anderson
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hit men.

Director: James Gray
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes
Crazy Heart (2009)
Drama | Music | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.

Director: Scott Cooper
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell
Action | Drama | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

An attorney defends an officer on trial for ordering his troops to fire on civilians after they stormed a U.S. embassy in a third world country.

Director: William Friedkin
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce
Drama | History | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

The life stories of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in WWII.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Ryan Phillippe, Barry Pepper, Joseph Cross
Taking Chance (TV Movie 2009)
Drama | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

Based on real-life events, Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, a volunteer military escort officer, accompanies the body of 19-year-old Marine Chance Phelps back to his hometown of Dubois, Wyoming.

Director: Ross Katz
Stars: Kevin Bacon, Tom Aldredge, Nicholas Art
Jarhead (2005)
Drama | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Based on former Marine Anthony Swofford's best-selling 2003 book about his pre-Desert Storm experiences in Saudi Arabia and about his experiences fighting in Kuwait.

Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
Monica Washington (as Yaya Dacosta)
...
...
...
Dale Martin
...
...
Paul Diomede ...
Motorcycle Cop
Jahmir Duran-Abreau ...
...
...
...
Teenager #1 (as Brian DeJesus)
Edit

Storyline

While on a recent deployment to Iraq, US Army Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery is injured when an improvised explosive device goes off within close proximity to him. He is back in the States recovering from the more serious of those injuries, including one to his eye and leg. He has resumed a sexual relationship with his long time girlfriend Kelly, despite the fact that she is now engaged to another man who Will knows. With the few months Will has left in his enlistment, the army assigns him to the Casualty Notification Team in his area. Not having a background in counseling, psychology or grief management, he is unsure if he is well suited to this job. He is partnered with a career soldier, Captain Tony Stone, who teaches Will the precise protocol involved in the job. Tony tells Will, who quickly learns by on the job experience, that this job has its own dangers. As Will learns to adapt to the range of emotions of the next of kin, he is unprepared for the reaction of Olivia Pitterson, ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

4 December 2009 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El mensajero  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$44,523 (USA) (13 November 2009)

Gross:

$1,108,684 (USA) (7 May 2010)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

|

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the boating & fishing scene, Woody Harrellsen's character yells out "Charlie don't surf!" The line originated from the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, set during the Vietnam Conflict. It was spoken by Robert Duvall's character during the film's surfing scene. See more »

Goofs

(at around 1 min) Capt. Tony Stewart and SSGT Will Montgomery enter the house and sit on the couch without removing their caps. See more »

Quotes

Captain Tony Stone: One more thing. You do not touch the Next-of-Kin. Avoid physical contact, unless it's a medical emergency, like they're having a heart attack or something. You're representing the Secretary of the Army, not Will Montgomery, so in case you feel like offering a hug or something... don't.
Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery: [sarcastic] I'm not gonna be offering any hugs, sir.
See more »


Soundtracks

Stranger in a Strange Land
(1970)
Written by Leon Russell, Don Preston
Performed by Leon Russell
Published by Irving Music Inc., on behalf of Skyhill Publ. Co.
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
An Emotional Look Into the Psychological Effects of War
6 January 2010 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

The Messenger has incredible acting by Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, and Samantha Morton.

The film has a curious flow to it. It begins predictable, yet remains engaging, exposing a heart-breaking consequence of war no family wants to face. Although the news remains the same, emotions run just as deep at each door. Every scene is handled marvelously through subtle performances by the actors. As the film unfolds, the viewer sinks into the complex characters on screen, discomforted by the internal struggles that slowly surface.

The Messenger is a non-linear, character-driven film with exceptional performances but might not be for everyone.


50 of 61 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Uniform Nitpicks B_Profane
nudity jogbike
wayyyy better than hurt locker cast away
Samantha Morton Julia-3
Excellent movie, but painful to watch. Dataman325
Realistic Eating patf128
Discuss The Messenger (2009) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?