The Messenger

Don't call it a comeback because Woody Harrelson never went away! While he has been active for many years, it feels like Harrelson is on a big career upswing with Zombieland and this smaller independent film that will remind everyone how good of an actor he is.

Ben Foster stars as Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery - an Iraq war vet sent stateside after a heroic act led to an eye injury. Feeling empty, lost, thinking about his buddies still overseas and embarrassed by all of the talk of being a hero, Will isn't sure what is next in his life.

Against his wishes, the young man is assigned to Casualty Notification, where Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) has agreed to take the young man under his wing and teach him how to interact with families who are learning their loved one has been killed in action. It's a tough job, and Will isn't sure it's the one for him.

Writer/director Oren Moverman and co-writer Allesandro Camon shatter every preconceived notion you have about The Messenger as you settle into your seat, and make the movie better for it. This movie is not supposed to be a jingoistic weep fest where iron jawed military men in their dress uniforms put their arms around crying widows. It's more realistic than that.

Moverman and Camon brilliantly capture the more complex emotions happening in these powder keg situations. Harrelson makes Stone represent the rigid code and procedures that must be followed, even if you don't always understand why, at first. Through Stone, we see how important this mission must be, why its rapidity is essential and the reasons behind the rules. Harrelson also brings out the gallows humor and tough exterior these guys need to protect themselves from one of the most heartbreaking assignments a military person can take on.

Then, Moverman and Camon create families with the most shocking reactions you can imagine. In these short interactions, we learn all about the family, the history, the battles they may have been through and more. You never see it coming, which is why The Messenger will surprise you.

Sadly, The Messenger gets off track and starts to go beyond the original premise, which takes away from its uniqueness. After such an enthralling first half, the second half of the movie starts to stray into the common and familiar.

The Messenger is rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity.