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First Official Trailer for Oren Moverman's The Messenger

by Alex Billington
October 6, 2009
Source: Apple

Oscilloscope has just debuted the official trailer for The Messenger today on Apple, not to be confused with the Joan of Arc movie The Messenger or that horror movie The Messengers. I'm sorry but Iraq war movies, unless they're The Hurt Locker, are just boring to see nowadays. Hell, the concept in this is even the same exact concept as in Brothers -- well, they're close enough. And I have a feeling neither of them are going to make any money. They're both going to come and go quickly because most of us just don't want to see these kinds of movies anymore. So why are they still making them? I'm not sure. Check out the trailer.

Watch the official trailer for Oren Moverman's The Messenger:

You can also watch the trailer for The Messenger in High Definition on Apple

A US soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer.

The Messenger is directed by first-time filmmaker Oren Moverman, who previously wrote the screenplays for I'm Not There and Married Life. The screenplay was actually co-written by Moverman and producer Alessandro Camon. This first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and was eventually bought by Oscilloscope. The Messenger will open in limited theaters starting on November 13th this fall.

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Notex

THIS does NOT look like those ordinary Iraq movies. this looks super intense, and I actually want to watch this movie.
Xerxex

Well its Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson I'm pretty much sold. It will be a hard sell since Taking Chance but I'll check it out. The film seems to be taking a direct side, which is okay but as some of these Anti-War films are that just throw it at you in a constant wave, and it gets old, The Hurt Locker was perfect because it it didn't take a side it stayed in the middle.
http://www.twitter.com/barnabybarrilla Barnaby Barrilla

I can see where your coming from. I am still interested because I like Ben Foster a lot and its good to see Woody Harrelson make his comeback
http://acidrefluxdietcure.com How To Cure Acid Reflux Naturally

Woody Harrelson is great but this movie seems to squishy for my taste - loved him in zombie land though
normf

I'm guessing they're "still making" these type of movies because the Iraq invasion *still* continues to this day, Alex. Geez...
DoomCanoe

#4 of course you loved him in zombieland! ill watch this, it seems like a very different take on a soldiers job.
yes

i disagree with you this looks actually pretty interesting, and the concept is far different from Brothers
germs

Looks half way decent and a hell of a lot better than that pos Jake Gyllenhaal movie.
gplongwood

Heavy
Eric

I'm only commenting on this to tell you that I disagree with you. It looks nothing like Brothers.
Trip

Thanks for showing me the whole story in the trailer...
Thasaltshaker

Just cause you're tired of watching Iraq war movies doesn't mean everyone is, it's easy for you to forget about the real issues when you drown yourself in movies like transformers and terminator, fantasizing about a fantasy war of the future when the real hell storm is taking place right now. It's funny how America finds it so easy to forget and move on from the real issues, but as soon as MJ croaks it's a freaking field day. It makes me sick.
Sabes

I understand what you're saying. I'd probably only end up watching this when it comes on tv.
jvj the agnostic

Willy singing that song sold it to me! Plus I think Ben Foster is on the road for an Academy one day.
Xerxex

#13 chill dude. I'm with Sabes on this, its good to break away from real world issues, The war is in everyone's minds maybe not front row, maybe not even the 3rd but its there.
Sabes

@13, calm down. Not everyone is like that. We are well aware of what's going on. Sometimes it's nice to get away from all the horror of the world every once in a while. Drowning yourself in all the bad things 24/7 just ends up tearing you apart.
Ben

Come on Alex, what gives? This movie looks like one of the best of the year and apart from Hurt Locker and Stop-Loss, Iraq movies have kind of sucked. Same as Brothers? Hmmm think not, Brothers will be oscar bait. The only Iraq movies that have actually worked have not been oscar bait. Jarhead? Failure. Rendition? Failure. Jake Gyllenhaal Iraq movies? Failure. Plus its Ben Foster and the boy can act, its about fucking time Hollywood gave him a lead role! And Samantha Morton and Woody can both act. This movie will be good and reviews for it seem great. I know this is your blog, but sometimes you have to look at things objectively, your opinion will not always match the majority and the majority think your opinions of this film are wrong.
Nikhil Hariharan

#15: I agree, Ben Foster is slowly going to become an Academy Award Winner one of these days, the kid's acting ability is so wide.
SuicidalOptimist

I think this looks very good. But I am bias, because I absolutely adore Ben Foster. He is amazing as the damaged, broken, fucked up or psychopathic kind of character. Why is the still somehow underrated in Hollywood? Have those people not seem him as sweet (and mentally challenged) Eli in Freaks and Geeks? Or as bullied Trevor in Bang Bang You're Dead? Or what about Birds of America? I could rave on about him for hours. There are movies I would never have watched if it wasn't for him. Birds of America for instance, or just recently Pandorum. He is fantastic. And having him now teamed up with the fabulous Woody Harrelson? A dream come true. /end nerdgasm
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

Kind of reminds me of after 911, some firefighters ended up with their dead friends wives, hopefully it will show that oftens soldiers minds can be incredibly fragile after what they have seen and done. In the UK there are more ex-soldiers in prison than are currently serving in Afghanistan, some 20,000 or so. Acting looks pretty solid, doesn't seem anti-war either, it actually seems to present soldiers are human beings, not 2 dimensional characters that shoot shit and come home flying the flag to bang the cheerleader wife, drink beer and high five til the sun comes up. Not folded in a ball on the floor crying because they saw their best friend explode in front of them.
uhh..

"most of us just don't want to see these kinds of movies anymore" ? Who are you speaking on behalf of here? Certainly not those of us who are still interested in fascinating stories grounded in the reality of the men and women giving their lives up for a war going on at this very moment. I must thank you though, Alex, for taking time out of pitching your [terrible] Batman 3 ideas to the internet and lowering yourself enough to post information about this waste of a time movie for us. FirstShowing is very quickly losing credibility in my eyes.
ImaginaryVisionary

Normally I disagree when you all bash war films because I love most war films, and will see pretty much any war film....but I agree. This looks pretty bland, even for an Iraq war movie. I'll be surprised if this even hits theaters in a mass market way. Perhaps its got an interesting moral tale wrapped in there somewhere that isn't revealed in the preview, but from the melodramatic lifetime movie feel of the preview I'm guessing we've just seen the entire plot of the movie in that clip.
beavis

i don't know where you're getting the "anti-war" vibe alex. this doesn't seem to have it to me. i think this looks pretty good. i'll be going to see it. however, i DID NOT care for that "amazing grace" rendition by willie nelson. he sounded like he's suffering from drunken senility.
beavis

this looks really good.
dom

Looks promising. Look forward to this, doesnt look like all the other war films of this type that tend to put patriotism before character. Roll on more harelson - guys making so many films at the moment.
http://twitter.com/SebastianSelig Sebastian Selig

This looks fantatsic. Love to see Samantha Morton again. I realy don't get all the negative rap about nobody want to see irak issues anymore. That's pure nerd-talk.
Captian Nemo

Where the hell did you get Brothers from that?
Robbie

Alex, no offense, but how the hell do you want to compare this movie with The Hurt Locker..?
kitano0

Looks good, but I agree with Xerxes that it's got to be damn good to top Taking Chance. This looks good, but a little "soapy".... You have seen Taking Chance, haven't you, Alex?
spliter

you want to see a really good soldier's film hear ya go. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019454/ in most ways soldiers are the best of an type of person living in America, They are everything we as civilians are afraid to be and everything a political official refuses to be.
Duane

Where in the hell was Woody Harrelsos all these years? Geez... when he comes back he does it big doesn't he. The boy is a beast and Ben Foster is one of the most overlooked actors of his genearation. I'm glad him and Joseph Gordon Levitt are getting their due.
Lar

Agatha!
branden

A US soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer lol yeah premise same except not as good considering they're not brothers and in Brothers we find out he's not really dead. I will give both a chance, but everyone won't be able to help comparing them to one another.
http://www.firstshowing.net me

I think it looks great. Ben Foster's role seems to be intense.
Curtfrmcali

yea i like woody and ben i think this is gonna be a good film. Movies like this and Taking chance are important POVs for modern war films. I think it'll be good.
yojoe

@Thasaltshaker so waht are the real issues? you just hack on people but be honest and tell us what are the issues? everybody who wants to forget things like iraq and 9/11 is in my opinion a smart person because it was terrible thing but life goes on, so dont be so friggin selfrighteous because you think you know the game, because nobody does know the fucking real issues there are none
http://www.twitter.com/dt4storms Dusty

WOW... of all my friends and family that have been over to the litter box(some not returning alive and NONE returning the same) ... not a damned one has EVER played guns in a parking lot... i know a couple of them are bothered to this day when driving by parked cars on the side of the road.... let alone the ideas of making light of this burden the messengers have... HOLLYWOOD... TOO EARLY FOR THESE FILMS. THESE MESSENGERS ARE STILL GOING OUT TO THE FAMILIES DAILY I will still go see this film... but it is unfortunate to step into a theatre already pissed off at the trailer.
Harmon

Kinda makes you want to believe that our military is actually fighting and dying for our freedom, or something, god too, I suppose. Warm and fuzzy, aint it? And not wasting their lives on a pointless, illegal fuck up of a war that started on a grudge and ruined our economy, huh?
Soldier

My opinion, if it matters, is that good movies either make you think or make you feel. Great movies tend to do both. I think this movie has a lot of potential, especially in that feeling department. The trailer, concept, and snippets of dialogue I saw/heard from the Brothers trailer didn't do anything for me. This trailer hit me like a truck. I definitely don't think it's a movie you'd watch if you want to feel warm and fuzzy. We all have our opinions on why we fight. I don't watch too many movies for that, but what about what happens afterward? THAT's a little more interesting. Yo DUSTY (37)! Don't go into the movie mad bro. I got plenty of friends that reenact close shaves with death. It depends on the soldier right? If you've seen Hurt Locker you know some dudes just love that stuff.
Soldier

If you have seen Hurt Locker, you would have seen some dudes just love that stuff, I mean. I think this movie will be a realistic portrayal, unlike Brothers.