The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) Reviewed by Eugene Novikov http://www.ultimate-movie.com/ Member: Online Film Critics Society
Starring Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman. Rated R.
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc is an intelligent film with intelligent ideas. It has a more-than-workable script and a first-rate cast. Its problems lie in its tone and execution. Director Luc Besson (the n is silent), whose last film was the visually stunning The Fifth Element doesn't quite realize this project's potential. His rampant use of humor is often inappropriate and while it may generate a laugh, it also serves to spoil the mood. There are limits to everything.
The two-and-a-half hour film stumbles out of the starting line, opening with a map of Europe accompanied by a historical summary in the form of titles which race across the screen at a jaw-droppingly fast pace, leaving most of the audience in the dust (but worry not: if you want to know some of the history behind the movie, simply read the next paragraph; contrarily if you do not want to know what happens, skip the next three). The film goes on to tell the still controversial story of Joan of Arc, the teenager who led France to victory over England in the 13th century, claiming to be a messenger from God.
Around the turn of the (13th) century, France and England signed a treaty providing that upon the death of France's ruler, France shall become part of England's kingdom. The kings of both countries die within months of each other, leaving France in the hands of the new king of England, who is only a few months old at the time. France's Dauphin (played here by John Malkovich) has no intention of giving up his country to an infant and puts up a hell of a defense against the formidable British military.
Enter Joan of Arc. This spunky 19 year-old believes that she is receiving messages directly from the Big Kahuna himself. She thinks God is telling her to lead the French army to victory against the British to save the French Empire and make a king out of the Dauphin. The Dauphin, eager to please the masses and ready to jump at any chance to put a crown on his head, gives her the army. Joan takes control and gets some stunning victories, one of which she obtains merely by telling the British to "go home."
France is free and the Dauphin is king, but the story is far from over. Her tales of messages from God rise suspicions of witchcraft on her part, turning her saga into the best-known witchcraft trial ever sans Salem. The last act of the film covers this in detail, and it is by far the best The Messenger has to offer; the most powerful and compelling part of the movie is its last.
Imagine, if you will, an intense battle scene. The sets are elaborate, the action is frenetic, the music is blaring, the audience is really into it. Everyone is excited. All of a sudden, a guy's head gets chopped off and we see the headless body still standing upright, with blood copiously spurting out of where the head was supposed to be. This elicits groans and laughs from the audience. The mood is ruined, the excitement is diffused. This is The Messenger's main ailment. Besson ruins important scenes by playing them to comic effect. I have no problem with dark humor in an epic film like this one but it has to be done right and in places where it fits. What this film does is like mixing oil and water; instead of blending seamlessly, the humor and the action interfere with each other, making for an uneven confection.
The 24-year-old Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element) plays the title character with gusto but little grace which, I suppose, was the intention. Jovovich is a relatively unknown actress and casting her was a good idea; Joan is a controversial character and should not be interfered with by an actress with an established personality. The supporting cast is dynamite. John Malkovich provides some of the appropriate comic relief in the movie as does Dustin Hoffman whose character is significant and whose role I will not reveal for the sake of preserving some of the film's non-historical surprises.
The Messenger is decidedly not a blockbuster. It has the gall not to portray Joan as a hero, suggesting, more than anything else, that she was indeed insane. This came as a pleasant surprise: here is a big- budget movie that takes a big risk, straying from the crowd-pleasing notion of heroism and woman-saves-the-world feminism. It works by defying that expectation, by proposing a stand on an issue rather than merely telling a version of the story.
In the midst of all this, Besson does not forget to thoroughly modernize the tale, inserting generous amounts of '90s imagery and employing a version of the ever-popular MTV filmmaking style, though not settling into it as much as the stylistically similar Stigmata did earlier this year. I can't well imagine The Messenger working without all that imagery; it fits the story like a glove. As far as I'm concerned, MTV itself is the spawn of Satan, but it sure does do wonders for some films.
Most of what works in The Messenger is contained in its last 3rd and what comes before it struck me as hastily put together. It's as if the script wants to perfunctorily rush through the formalities and get to the points it wants to make as painlessly as humanly possible. The result is an extremely uneven first hour and a half. But the film's terrific finale is enough, I think, to warrant a trip to the multiplex.
Grade: B
©1999 Eugene Novikov
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