The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Ark (1999) 1/2 star out of 4. Starring Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway and Dustin Hoffman. Directed by Luc Besson.
"The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc" seems to run longer than the 100 Years War.
At nearly two hours and 45 minutes, this intermitable misfire is unfocused, idiotic and slow. Its biggest sin however is boredom.
How anyone can make a dull movie about the life of Joan of Arc is beyond me.
Yet director Luc Besson, who is guilty of co-authoring the screenplay with Andrew Birkin, has transformed the very symbol of his native country from one of inspiration to one of exasperation.
As portrayed by the little-talented Milla Jovovich - who at the time production commenced was married to Besson - Joan couldn't induce water to boil let alone lead an army. Jovovich's Joan screams, shouts, rages and bullies and tells continually tells everyone within earshot that she's not making any decisions on her own, but merely passing on messages from God.
Jovovich lacks any ethereal quality. She offers no hint of divine inspiration.
She's just an angry teen-ager with a big mouth who convinces people to follow her because, she says, it's the will of God.
This movie is a weak sister, one for which you will need the patience of a saint to endure.
And I despise period movies in which actors use modern idioms. When one character said of Joan, "She's nuts," I just about walked out of the theater.
The battle scenes are fragmented, shot in that quick-cut style in which it is difficult to tell who is doing what to whom. (A tip: The British troops wear low, rounded helmets, the French helmets are more vertical and pointed.)
A superior supporting cast that includes John Malkovich as the sniveling dauphin, Faye Dunaway as his conniving mother-in-law and Dustin Hoffman as The Inquisitor, cannot breathe any life into this celluloid corpse.
Timing is everything, and I sat through this movie two days after seeing Carl Theodore Dreyer's 1928 restored classic, "The Passion of Joan of Arc." Even with having to read translated subtitles, this movie emanated more heart and soul in one 10-minute stretch than Besson's feature could muster in all of its 160-plus minutes.
If the historical Joan of Arc was anything like Jovovich's recreation than it is a wonder the French are not speaking English and drinking tea today.
The message of "The Messenger." Don't waste your time. After seeing this movie, you may want to burn Besson at the stake.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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