Hey folks, Harry here to introduce Mr Lime's review of THE MESSENGER... a film that it seems a lot of people are ready to beat up... even though they themselves have not seen it. It's sad really. I'm taking in both the good and the bad that I've heard and allowing it to temper my expectations. With Moriarty jonesed about the film... and now this from Harry Lime... another regular... I am having slightly escalated hopes. I hope to see this very soon... Here's the other Harry...
Harry Lime's THE MESSENGER Review
Last Friday I went to the Cinerama Dome on Sunset to see Fincher's FIGHT CLUB. There was no way in hell Moriarty was going to let me weasel out of it. He had already seen it twice and was dying for someone else he knew to see it so he could finally talk freely about the film. The lights went down and the LA Times ad about the bug guy came on. The audience was in rowdy mood, so they started heckling the screen.
After that, the first preview up was for P.T. Anderson's MAGNOLIA. Suddenly, the mood shifted and all the fight was gone from the audience. They sat there in awe of the trailer, as if it were a masterpiece on its own. I gotta admit, it looks like P.T. has done something extraordinary. I'm really happy Tom Cruise has chosen to join an ensemble and blend in.
The audience was in a great mood when the next trailer came on: THE MESSENGER, THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC. Just as suddenly as before, the mood shifted again, though. Loathing was in the air and it was very obvious. I was reminded of what Moriarty sadly told me earlier... that the buzz on THE MESSENGER was poison. For the first time, I began to entertain the idea that Luc Besson's new epic might indeed be doomed to fail. And that's a damn shame because it's such a great movie.
I don't know if anybody remembers, but Professor Moriarty and I used a time machine a few weeks ago so we could travel into the future to see THE MESSENGER. When we got there, we saw our future selves already standing in line, so we had to be careful not to create any accidental paradoxes. We learned our lessons from BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II. However, putting the fabric of our very existence at risk proved to be well worth our while.
First of all, I dig the hell out of Besson's last two films. THE PROFESSIONAL is a work of understated perfection and THE FIFTH ELEMENT has it's charms and is a visual kick and a half. Based on these films,I had created an idea of what I was probably in store for when I finally sat down to see THE MESSENGER. I envisioned a Paul Verhoven/George Miller-style blood-spattered wall to wall CG enhanced epic battle flick that makes audiences jump out of their seats and cheer. Attractive as that idea might be, I was thankfully mistaken.
Instead it's a very personal epic with an ambiguous point of view that left me reeling from the experience. Visually, I expected a lot more CG. I guess I thought this because Besson was so good with effects in FIFTH ELEMENT. There is some effects work, but it's invisible and used only when absolutely necessary. The battle scenes really aren't the meat 'n' potatoes of the film, either. It's about Joan and how her "vision" motivated a discouraged and out-numbered army into battle. It's also about her struggle to keep faith that the voice she heard was indeed the voice of God. Overall, it's a mesmerizing motion picture that breaks free from any traditional cinematic preconception of Joan.
Milla Jovovich may well have been born to play Joan. It's such a departure for her. In every frame of film, she looks possessed, on the verge living or dying. The scenes in which she is "spoken" to by God are bizarre and experimental... somewhat reminiscent of early 70's John Boorman. These scenes could have ended up being laughable, but Milla's presence brings a sense that something truly divine is a work here. It's emotionally overwhelming. Every beat of her performance haunts me and I doubt I'll be able to shake it for some time.
Dustin Hoffman's been missing in action for such a long time that I had completely written him off. When I heard he was playing a character called The Grand Inquisitor, I yawned and gave it little thought. Sure, Dustin may physically be appropriate for such a role, but I was certain that Besson should have cast an actor who's at the top of his game instead of a guy who's been content handing in mediocre work. I don't know how Dustin did it, but he managed to pull it off with effortless brilliance. The last time he asserted himself like this, he won an Oscar then promptly disappeared for a decade. No matter what he chooses to do after this, I'm thrilled that he's given us at least one more gem.
Faye Dunaway is perfect as the King of France's wicked stepmother. She manipulates people and situations with chilling ease. She's not in the film much, but every scene she's in, she's perfect and necessary to move the plot forward. I flashed back to her role in the MUSKETEER movies from the early 70's and wondered if this is what her character, Milady de Winter, might have been like thirty years later if she had lived. It seems that playing this type of character (the somewhat psychotic power-mad witch) comes naturally to her. I've dealt with Faye personally on a couple occasions and it's difficult to tell whether or not she's actually acting when you see her on screen. She's perfect in THE MESSENGER and should at the very least earn a Best Supporting Actress Nomination.
John Malkovich is always really good, and his portrayal of the King of France is no exception. Here he strikes a confident balance between pathetic and opportunistic. His character is desperate and when he finally gets what he wants, the hell with Joan. You can always count on Malkovich to deliver. I can't wait to see BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, which I've heard nothing but good word about.
THE MESSENGER is a great step for Luc Besson as an artist. If the film fails, which it might very well do, we're likely to see him make a handful of blatantly commercial efforts to keep his career going. In the end, though, regardless of how well or poorly THE MESSENGER does at the box office, I'm certain the film will one day be revered when the director's entire filmography can be examined. I'm reminded of Terry Gilliam's THE FISHER KING... an extremely moving film which blends mature ideas with fantastic elements. FISHER KING was a giant step for Gilliam, too, who had previously made BARON MUNCHAUSEN as his follow up to his breathtaking BRAZIL. In a way, I think THE FIFTH ELEMENT is Besson's MUNCHAUSEN. It's an amazingly well crafted work of art which, unfortunately, isn't a step forward for the filmmaker. I love FIFTH ELEMENT to death, but THE MESSENGER is the real successor to THE PROFESSIONAL... his step up. It pulls no punches, all the way to its tragic end and has the nerve to leave it up to the audience to decide whether Joan was simply a crazed heretic or truly a messenger of God.
Harry Lime
