The Messenger

First off Robert Sheehan is such a good actor that unfortunately he makes the rest of the cast look woefully inadequate Especially lily cole . The film started with promise but failed miserably

The Messenger is a strange one, it may disappoint audience who want horror or thriller flick since this is exclusively a psychological drama. The entirety of the movie revolves around Jack, a psychic, as he tries to live his daily life being haunted by spirits of the dead. While the concept is not novel and the ride can be exhausting, it does present a few good perspectives on the mental agony he must go through.

There's a lot of wandering involved as Jack (Robert Sheehan) either runs away from his plague or searching for odd ways to find peace, both of which usually end up poorly. The cinematography works well to set the mood, often using dark palette almost like a cloud hovering around the main character. It gives plenty of fine landscape or urban shots, although these might get old towards latter half.

Robert Sheehan is good on the lead character, he may not warm up quickly since his depression can be discouraging. Often misunderstood, his good will doesn't always reward him with accolade, after all people hearing voices and talking randomly is utterly bizarre. His character can be sympathetic yet it's the nagging feeling that he's not all there which gives depth to his performance.

The movie cleverly portrays him as a man with supernatural gift or simply a mental trouble. Other characters such as his sister or the psychiatrist enhance the relationship even more by showcasing Jack's gradually deteriorating life. This is certainly not a movie that relies on scare or shock, it's a long psychological trudge, The problem with this set-up is the arduous atmosphere surrounding Jack. There's barely any five minutes where he's not yelling or nearly breaking down. This can get tiresome, the constant conflict can produce drama, and it does for a couple of instances, but it's also very heavy and might just deter some audience.

While the drama aspect can be peculiarly engaging at times, The Messenger's overly solemn tone might not relate well to viewer expecting more thrill or excitement.

All you want from a very, very surprising movie. A skillfully written and acted movie, more please..............!

Main characters are fully formed, the dialogue is rich the locations well thought out.

The main characters are very human and you want more and the movie keeps giving.

Young actors are well directed giving me the feeling of a fully rounded journey.

I saw this at the Scottish film festival and was not expecting a small masterpiece.

I watched The Messenger because I saw on IMDb that it was categorized in the thriller and horror section. That was the only reason I was interested in this movie. And again the movie is categorized in the wrong section. It has absolutely nothing to do with a horror movie nor a thriller. IMDb should check movies out for themselves before categorizing them. It's very annoying. The Messenger is just a drama, and not even a good one. It's one of those movies were the story has been done before and way better. The "I see dead people" is a nice idea for a story but unless you bring something new and better then seen before it is of no point making it. The Messenger is way too slow to be entertaining and the slow violin and piano music throughout the movie doesn't help a bit. The cast is okay but also nothing that you will remember about.

I'm a huge fan of Robert Sheehan, and this is truly one of his very best moments of acting. I'm really puzzled as to why this movie has some really bad reviews - it is a hauntingly beautiful story of what might happen to someone who has been tormented by ghosts from the time they were just a young boy. I thought the cinematography was very well done, the shots of Jack speaking while walking "alone" through various vast, empty places was an interesting choice that I think paid off. The music was perfectly suited to the morose and at times painful mood of the story. And the acting... wow, just wow. Robert Sheehan was truly amazing as such a tortured, tragic soul. This is a story that will stick with me for a few days at least. Well worth the watch. I did not find it to be boring at all, in fact I was absolutely riveted. That said, it is definitely the kind of movie that you watch for the acting, rather than the action.