KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

grantss Good, but could have been mind-blowingly great. The movie was set up perfectly in the first two-thirds or so, but failed to make a profound point. The final third isn't a waste, having some very poignant and sensitive moments, but it was set up for something massively insightful.Quite original plot and sensitive, flowing Clint Eastwood-like direction. Superb performances from Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson. Harrelson deserved his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Solid support from Samantha Morton and a good minor performance from Steve Buscemi.

Sergeant_Tibbs Well this was a nice surprise. I didn't think much to the logline but it misses the key setup detail in that this is a film about the "messengers" who have to tell the next of kin that their family member died at war. It's a fascinating concept and these types of characters have never had their due as even supporting roles. Not only is this film incredibly powerful, but it's funny, compassionate and thrilling. It has everything in just the right measure, always doing something in a unique way and rewarding the audience with information about the characters. It's the scenes of the actual "messaging" shot in one long take, which are clearly actors playgrounds, that hit hard. The film hits every beat right on time without feeling constrained by structure. The only problem I had was that I wish the photography was more consistent, as sometimes it has fantastic iconography, but sometimes it feels unplanned and out of place, especially with the infrequent zooms. Fortunately the acting (and sometimes the great soundtrack) saves it. Brilliant storytelling, brilliant filmmaking. This is how modern films should be written and how I want to make films. Loved it.9/10

Mike Fennemore "The Messenger" is an emotionally captivating story. From the very beginning, the look of the film makes you question what the movie is really about. A bit slow in the beginning, the movie begins to wrap you up in curiosity and then takes you out into the troubles of what it is like for a soldier to re-acclimate him/herself to society after a tour of duty; all while serving the last few months of service in the Casualty Notification Team. We follow the main characters journey back into society and get a first hand view at the parallels that are often overlooked by people who are not in direct contact with military personnel. The characters are charming, down to earth, and completely relatable. You don't have to have served in the military to understand the struggles, both internal and external, that our protagonist faces. The supporting cast does a great job of portraying everyday folks who could be anyone and everyone. The dialogue and story, combined with simple, yet artistic camera work, make this story truly enthralling. "The Messenger" is a great film that everyone should watch.

lasttimeisaw Even securing Hollywood veteran Woody Harrelson his second Oscar nomination, the film has eluded me until now, and a long overdue viewing proves it is an overlooked gem on the recent war-trauma film list. The breakthrough effort of the film is its one-of-a-kind perspective, with zero scenes from the violent frontline (including the usual gambit of fly-on-the-wall clips), the modus operandi aims at the ominous casualty notification soldiers and one theatrical oomph originates from the various poignant reactions from the next-of-kins of dead soldiers in Iraq when they are being notified, a faintly tricky scheme to gain the empathy towards both the film and its main characters, which is a laudable feat and very operative due to a splendid cast and unostentatious script (the formality of notification is swell written).Budding as one of the versatile young actors in Hollywood, Ben Foster excels in his not-so- frequent leading role as an ostensible war-hero plagued by a hidden secret, typifies ideally a post-war anguish-tortured individual. Foster generates a magnificent screen chemistry both with his tutor-cum-friend Woody Harrelson (a well-developed supporting role as Foster's superior captain, whose behind-the-scene background story is finely underlined by Harrelson's scene-stealing faculty) and with a never-disheartening Samantha Morton, the paragraph when Morton unravels her inner affection and grief to Foster in her home is a total tour-de-force. So, the war-blasting viewpoint has been established in both cases with its direct victims potently (soldiers and their families), all the proofs are indisputable, and for majority of its audience who has no mighty to change any political imbroglio towards warfare, the film at least hardens the determination of respecting each individual in a more altruistic way and maybe the world will get better day by day.