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According to Wikipedia, the advice “Don’t shoot the messenger” was first articulated by Shakespeare. In olden days (ya know, before email and such) during time of war, messages were often delivered in person by a live representative. Unfortunately, the abraded party sometimes punished the bearer of bad news. In The Messenger, Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) and Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) are in the unenviable position of acting as envoys of the army; members of a casualty notification team. 

Returning from the war in Iraq as a hero is Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery. While in the course of saving lives, he suffered physical injuries which have not healed, including psychological wounds which run much deeper. Now stateside, he will spend the last three months of service assigned to the delicate and difficult task of notifying the next of kin of servicemen and women killed in the line of duty.

Serving as the mentor for Montgomery is Captain Stone (an apt name if there ever was one). Together they form a Casualty Notification Team – a chilling euphemism for a tragic, but necessary job – that of informing the relatives of fallen soldiers.

We accompany Stone and Montgomery as they make their rounds and call on the next of kin in six households, all different but connected by a slender, but terrible thread. The varied reactions of family members were truly authentic, their pain and anguish palpable.

Although warned by Stone to keep his emotions in check, Montgomery begins to develop feelings for one of the young widows to which they have just paid a visit. His breach of protocol breaks through his austere demeanor and exposes his humanity.

Coming to New York in 1988 after a stint in the Israeli army as a paratrooper, director Oren Moverman has since become a well-know screenwriter in the independent film world. Using his first-hand experiences from both his film and military career, he makes an auspicious debut as the director of The Messenger.

Terrific and understated performances by just about everyone in the cast, but the standouts are Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma), Samantha Morton (In America, Minority Report) and Steve Buscemi who has a grievous moment as next of kin. It’s amazing what a good actor can do with a small role. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Woody Harrelson, who plays lonely but macho like none other.

In spite of the difficult subject matter, this poignant film manages to convey war as hell without showing you a single frame of the action in Iraq. No bomb blasts, no explosions and the only shots that are fired are from a gun at a military funeral.

It’s not a film for everyone, especially those who like their war films fast moving and sprinkled with blood and body parts. But what you’ll see on the screen is more real then any reality program on television today.

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