 IN MEMORY OF ADAM YAUCH | The Messenger ==================== This should have gone out Friday. Oh well! This is the fifth and final film distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories that I have watched in memory of the late and great Adam Yauch, one third of the Beastie Boys and co-creator of Oscilloscope. I rarely ever bother with war films or anything to do with the army. They always seem depressing and dull and typical and political and blah blah blah, but The Messenger has Woody Harrelson in an Oscar nominated best supporting actor role (which he lost to the fucking stupendous Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds, a performance worth of renaming the blooming thing after him). Plus the film doesn't bother with the battlefield and instead gives us two soldiers who are responsible for visiting the next of kin at their homes to tell them that their family members are dead. The potential for depression at even the blurb for this film made me write a will in preparation but we actually get a somewhat different film. Harrelson is the pro at this who takes Ben Foster under his wing and teaches him the tricks of this most bleak of trades and their relationship is the predominant source of lightness in this film, and the film does seem somewhat light despite the incredibly awful things happening on screen. These are two guys who break hearts almost every day, imparting these awful words to the family spouses or parents whilst wearing the uniform of the killer, and this obviously takes an emotional and mental toll on them both. Alcohol plays a part, sex plays a part and all of these distractions are born out of desperation and regret for what they do and what they've seen. This is a film that sounds far far more depressing than it is and for that I give credit to the writing (the other Oscar nod) but also the layered performances from our two leads as well as Steve Buscemi as a father that they visit and Samantha Morton who plays a wife with a kid who's husband dies and who Foster gets close to. This is not the kind of film to watch with a group of pals or snuggle up with your significant other to, but this is a very good film that you can look cool recommending to your friends or have sitting amongst your blu-rays. Is it worth buying? It is if it's your only way of seeing it, but, having seen it, I would only ever use it to repeatedly lend to others. *Verdict: MCYay* **_DAN_**
