The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc Review
by Jamey Hughton (bhughton AT sk DOT sympatico DOT ca)December 1st, 1999
THE MESSENGER: THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC
** (out of five stars)
A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich,
Faye Dunaway and Dustin Hoffman
Director-Luc Besson
Rated 18A
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Retelling the classic story of Joan of Arc has been a popular trend this year. Earlier this May, Leelee Sobieski played the passionate title role in the top-rated miniseries that debuted on CBS. And now, director Luc Besson has delivered his version of the sweeping epic about the teenage girl supposedly sent by God to rescue France from the clutches of their enemies. Starring Milla Jovovich, who is predominantly unconvincing as the heavenly messenger accused of being a witch, “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” is a disjointed and overblown historical re-enactment that prevails merely as a bloated mistreatment of the famous legend.
Besson (who’s previous work includes the hyperactive sci-fi “The Fifth Element”) perhaps entrusted a bit too much faith in ex-wife Jovovich, because in “The Messenger”, the actress
is drowning in a pool of her own inexperience. At first, when reports were indicating that Jovovich had been chosen for such a demanding role, I was highly doubtful that her marginal talent could carry a film of such a caliber. After seeing the rousing trailer, my
hesitant optimism suddenly skyrocketed - Milla Jovovich looked superb. With the hopeful propulsion of her stellar performance, “The Messenger” looked like a timeless epic in the making.
A timeless epic it is not. Besson is hesitant to abandon his unique and flashy style, and the
story behind “The Messenger” is not entirely suited to his demands. On the shoulders of
Besson’s choppy and unexciting direction, the film dissipates into an uninspiring
hodgepodge of poorly executed battle sequences and bizarre imagery. There is no human exploration into the character of Joan (or Jeanne). Jovovich merely rambles on about the
power of God when we have little or no insight into her visionary objective. Jovivich’s unsatisfying portrayal only helps lead to the realization that Besson sees Jeanne as a piece
of spiritual cardboard. She is just another special effect in this continuous visual feast.
Jovovich does have a few isolated moments of sheer power, but mainly, she looks lost. Quite frankly, I don’t know of any actress who could successfully navigate her way through “The Messenger” without a major fumble. The script is chock-full of laughable dialogue and unfortunate comedy, as Jeanne confronts the uncrowned King Charles VII (John Malkovich) and informs him of her heavenly intentions. Faye Dunaway plays Charles’ overbearing mother-in-law, and Dustin Hoffman appears over two-hours into the story as a character dubbed ‘The Conscience’. All three actors juggle limited screen time, although Malkovich is uncharacteristically awful.
The battle scenes are extremely bloody, but with the presence of such jittery camera work, they capture none of the excitement or finesse of something like “Braveheart”. There’s a particularly graphic and unsettling scene early on, when Jeanne (as a young girl) watches in horror from a closet as her older sister is murdered and then savagely raped by a bloodthirsty English soldier. Even his fellow troopers are petrified.
“The Messenger” is also strictly a 90’s update on the classic story. Almost too 90’s, it seems. There’s gratuitous use of the f-word and a barrage of slang terms like “she’s nuts!” sprinkled throughout the screenplay. I was half-expecting Jeanne to invite her homeys to come chill in her crib, but it never happened. There’s also the familiar presence of bizarre Besson humor, but none of it comes even remotely close to functioning properly. It seems terribly misplaced, but in a catastrophe as jumbled and disjointed as “The Messenger”, almost everything does.
The musical score by Erric Serra is spectacular, and the set and production designs are continuously impressive. If it was visual excellence that Besson was striving for, then he achieves his goal. But the only time the dramatics come alive in “The Messenger” is during the closing trial, in which Jeanne is found guilty and burned at the stake. During these moments, the historical relevance and dramatic purpose of Joan of Arc reaches the audience, albeit in a faint stream of light that provokes little power or meaning. It’s just too delayed for Besson to revive his lifeless interpretation, in which he is always concerned with the wrong aspects.
“The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” is an unlikely and unwelcome historical addition to the Hollywood shelf. Anyone searching for an entertaining epic is going to be painfully slapped with an overblown and confusing film. Despite my original hopefulness, Milla Jovovich is not going to have to worry about thanking the Academy.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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