The plot may take a backseat here so character development can shine, but it’s not entirely absent. The story follows Misfits star Robert Sheehan as Jack, a damaged young man with the peculiar ability to see and communicate with the dead. Using this ability, he delivers messages to the deceased’s loved ones, usually helping them say goodbye in one way or another. Jack is soon confronted with a mysterious death with disastrous implications, requiring the help of Lili Cole as his estranged sister Emma, as well as Alex Wyndham as her husband Martin. Meanwhile, DCI Keane (David O’Hara in yet another antagonist role) grows suspicious of Jack’s involvement with certain violent deaths, believing him to be a mentally ill murderer.

Though all the actors performed at their best, Sheehan absolutely steals the scene with a main character that holds the movie together. Some of the film’s best scenes are just Jack walking around the countryside talking or even arguing with the invisible apparitions that constantly besiege him. You truly believe that this character bathed in grief and sorrow that simply can’t walk away from his fate, even though the world around him believes that he’s mad. By comparison, the main mystery surrounding the death of a reporter seems dull and uninteresting, but it doesn’t detract much from the experience.

David Blair is a veteran director, and it’s easy to see that he squeezed as much quality as possible from what couldn’t have been a very large budget. The direction is very efficient and at times even touching, but some of the flashbacks can be jarring at first as they show up unannounced. Even the film’s apparent climax doesn’t really bring closure to the story, but presents us with a missing piece of Jack’s past that really packs an emotional punch. All this contributes to the overall story, so these aren’t exactly flaws.

The entire film resonates with a profoundly melancholic atmosphere and a great soundtrack to drive it home. The narrative aspects could have used some more work, especially with random story elements that ultimately don’t lead to anything and an unsatisfying ending, but this otherwise this is an extremely well-crafted and visually stunning film.

The concept might not be the most original, but The Messenger has a lot of heart, which mostly makes up for the narrative shortcomings. Robert Sheehan’s acting is also commendable, adding another layer of pathos to an already good movie and proving that he can take on serious roles as well as his more comedic usual performances. While it’s not exactly a horror movie, Blair has managed to craft a thrilling character-driven film that’s definitely worth a watch, though it will probably leave you wanting a more conclusive finale.

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Jack (Robert Sheehan) is a troubled man. Ever since he was young, the dead have been talking to him, asking for help with their unfinished business in the land of the living. No matter what he does, he can’t escape them, so he begrudgingly helps them fulfill their last wishes. One such tortured soul is Mark (Jack Fox), a murdered reporter who never got the chance to say goodbye to his wife, Sarah (Tamzin Merchant). Jack reluctantly agrees to pass on Mark’s final message, but in doing so, Jack sets in motion for his own past, namely his sister Emma (Lily Cole) making a reappearance in his life, to come back and haunt him.

Prior to this film, I’d never heard of Robert Sheehan, other than him being a rising star in the UK. And after his performance in The Messenger, I can see why. Sheehan plays Jack as a tortured soul, constantly boozing it up or popping pills in order to find some relief from the dead that won’t leave him alone. Snarky and unpleasant, it can be difficult to warm up to a character such as this, but with the aid of flashbacks to Jack’s past, it makes the character more bearable and sympathetic. Still, with so much resentment tied into the character, it’s a difficult task to truly get behind him. As for the supporting cast, David O’Hara is adequate as the antagonistic policeman Keane who causes trouble for Jack, and Lily Cole is also good, mixing feelings of concern but also alienation when it comes to Jack.

Unfortunately, The Messenger hasn’t got much more going for it. The main issue is Andrew Kirk’s script, which really doesn’t offer much in terms of interest, even with all of these elements ripe for potential. Plot threads are laid out, such as Jack’s nephew possibly having the same gift as Jack, but by the midway point of the film, are dropped and are not followed through. Other than Jack, the rest of the characters aren’t given the attention and depth needed to make them interesting, and the acting shows it. This of course comes back to bite the film, since it’s hard to get behind a miserable character like Jack in the first place. The script also fails the movie in the horror department. Other than a few chase sequences, the rough flashbacks and some ghostly figures, there’s not much horrific going on. And in case you’re wondering, the film fails in the thriller department since everyone is just so damn uninteresting. Instead, we’re constantly bombarded with Jack’s sourpuss, and the dreariness of the environment just makes this a chore to sit through.

Really, The Messenger is another case of wasted potential. Sheehan shows some considerable chops with his performance, but it’s muddled by the fact that his character is such an unlikable jerk. The rest of the cast fare worse due to their flat characters, and the story just phones it in without putting effort into making the proceedings interesting, leaving the items that are interesting hanging or dropped entirely. The film might be worth it as background noise while you do your dusting, but anything more than that is asking too much.

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Below we have a handful of images and the UK trailer from the psychological thriller in which the protagonist is being tormented.

Joely Richardson, Tamzin Merchant, and Robert Sheehan star.

We all want to believe in life after death and imagine loved ones looking over us, feel their presence in a draft of air, or the faint essence of a familiar smell. It’s what we crave, knowing they wait for us. But Jack isn’t waiting – they won’t leave him alone. Some might call Jack a troubled soul, at odds with the world, unable to conform. If you saw him in the pub – disheveled and drunk, talking to himself – you’d stay well away, think he was disturbed somehow, crazy. But Jack has a sharp mind and a razor wit. It’s not that he doesn’t want to live a normal life, he can’t. They won’t let him.

The Messenger is the story of Jack’s last melt down. A story of frustration and guilt; of love and betrayal; family and blame. How he chooses the victims he’ll help next, how he, stalker-like, becomes embroiled in their lives. In this case, Mark, a journalist brutally murdered in the local park and his television presenter wife, Sarah, to whom he’s desperate to say one last goodbye.

As Jack gets closer to Sarah, obsessed with passing on Mark’s message, he discovers their perfect life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. They had secrets and lies just like any couple; the only problem is that Mark didn’t know about them. It’s the shock of that discovery that finally pushes Jack over the edge. But there is hope… When Jack’s estranged sister, Emma, gets in touch, Jack starts to remember the past they shared together and as the memories come flooding back, he starts to confront the truth about the death of his father. Maybe this time he can start to believe it wasn’t his fault? Maybe this time his father will finally turn up and set him free?

The post Metrodome Acquires UK Rights to ‘The Messenger’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In addition, we also scored a handful of images from the psychological thriller in which the protagonist is being tormented.

Joely Richardson, Tamzin Merchant, and Robert Sheehan star.

We all want to believe in life after death and imagine loved ones looking over us, feel their presence in a draft of air, or the faint essence of a familiar smell. It’s what we crave, knowing they wait for us. But Jack isn’t waiting – they won’t leave him alone. Some might call Jack a troubled soul, at odds with the world, unable to conform. If you saw him in the pub – disheveled and drunk, talking to himself – you’d stay well away, think he was disturbed somehow, crazy. But Jack has a sharp mind and a razor wit. It’s not that he doesn’t want to live a normal life, he can’t. They won’t let him.

The Messenger is the story of Jack’s last melt down. A story of frustration and guilt; of love and betrayal; family and blame. How he chooses the victims he’ll help next, how he, stalker-like, becomes embroiled in their lives. In this case, Mark, a journalist brutally murdered in the local park and his television presenter wife, Sarah, to whom he’s desperate to say one last goodbye.

As Jack gets closer to Sarah, obsessed with passing on Mark’s message, he discovers their perfect life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. They had secrets and lies just like any couple; the only problem is that Mark didn’t know about them. It’s the shock of that discovery that finally pushes Jack over the edge. But there is hope… When Jack’s estranged sister, Emma, gets in touch, Jack starts to remember the past they shared together and as the memories come flooding back, he starts to confront the truth about the death of his father. Maybe this time he can start to believe it wasn’t his fault? Maybe this time his father will finally turn up and set him free?

The post ‘The Messenger’ Trailer Delivers a Final Meltdown! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“The Messenger centers on Jack, a young man who has been in and out of secure units all his life, given drugs to try and shut out his visions of the dead. He becomes unwillingly embroiled in the unfinished business of Mark, a journalist brutally murdered in the local park and his television presenter wife, Sarah, to whom he’s desperate to say one last goodbye.

Jack finds himself getting closer to Sarah, obsessed with passing on Mark’s message. Discovering hidden secrets and lies finally pushes the fragile Jack over the edge but there is hope when his estranged sister, Emma, gets in touch. Jack starts to remember the past they shared together and as the memories come flooding back, he starts to confront the truth about the death of his father.”

The Messenger was written by Andrew Kirk for BAFTA and Emmy award-winning director David Blair.

The post ‘The Messengers’ First Look at Visions of the Dead (AFM) appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“The Messenger centers on Jack, a young man who has been in and out of secure units all his life, given drugs to try and shut out his visions of the dead. He becomes unwillingly embroiled in the unfinished business of Mark, a journalist brutally murdered in the local park and his television presenter wife, Sarah, to whom he’s desperate to say one last goodbye.

Jack finds himself getting closer to Sarah, obsessed with passing on Mark’s message. Discovering hidden secrets and lies finally pushes the fragile Jack over the edge but there is hope when his estranged sister, Emma, gets in touch. Jack starts to remember the past they shared together and as the memories come flooding back, he starts to confront the truth about the death of his father.”

Shooting on location in the UK this summer, The Messenger is written by Andrew Kirk and developed by Michael Knowles, with Richard Turner and Richard Hart and has double BAFTA and Emmy award-winning director David Blair attached to the project.

The post ‘The Messenger’ Sees Visions of the Dead appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

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