THE MESSENGER:
The Story of Joan of Arc
A Columbia Pictures release

review by Joe Mauceri
  Premise: The legendary tale of the ordeal of the saint who saved France from the Britains. A more gritty and impressive visual tale then could be told for television.

Review: Luc Besson does an amazing job of examining the history, the facts and the myth behind the story of Joan of Arc. In developing the screenplay, Besson was granted access to the records of the trial and actually worked some of Joan's statements into the dialogue. Besson delivers a objective point of view. He shows Joan as a complex character, driven by a complexity of reasons, but all influenced by her faith. Is Joan and saint or insane? Besson does not preach to the audience and allows them to come to their own conclusions.

As an epic, the film is sweeping and beautiful. Besson captures Joan's innocence against the majestic rolling fields of France. Besson, who gave us the classic "The Profesional" and "Le Femme Nikita," brings a majesty and choreography to the brutality of the warfare of the 1400's. Besson makes the battle sequences of "Ben Hur" or "The Ten Commandments" look like child's play. He allows the audience to experience the horrors of war through Joan's eyes, but balances that with her victory where the British leave. The film offers the audience insight into the characters mind as Joan deals with the torments of her conscience. Besson also tackles the injustice of the political atmosphere of the time. The only assumption Besson makes is that Joan attempt to do the right thing, for whatever reason, but is sold out by the aristocracy. It becomes obvious that she was a champion of the common people, which the rich found uncomfortable.

The film boasts a brilliant cast of American and European talent. While most are character performances, which serve Joan's tale, Milla Jovovich gives an extraordinary award worthy performance. Previously, Jovocich played the 5th Element in Besson's last film. She gets into the emotional intensity of the character, again delivering a stellar performance. The other character with the most amount of screen time is Dustin Hoffman. It is an eerie part, and Besson is ambiguous as to his true origin or nature.

THE MESSENGER is a grand epic adventure and an intense examination of the historical character. The film is a diverse mix of beauty and brutality, as only can be told by a the modern master of the cinema Luc Besson. The tale is as compelling to follow as it is to look at. A delightful cinematic experiences that should be savored on a large screen.

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
www.spe.sony.com/movies/joanofarc
 

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