'Messenger' is a well-acted drama

THE MESSENGER — ★★★ — Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton; rated R (profanity, nudity, sex, vulgarity, slurs, violence, brief drugs); Broadway Centre

"The Messenger" wastes no time in imparting a few messages about some of the more horrific aspects of war.

Thankfully, it's not the kind of movie that spends it entirety bludgeoning audiences over the head with those messages.

Of course, that being said, this well-acted drama is not a happy film, either.

Also, the film ends on an ambiguous note that may frustrate a few moviegoers. But it is fitting. And it's in keeping with the overall somber tone.

Ben Foster stars as Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army soldier who's seen his share of action in the Middle East.

In fact, Will was injured saving some of his comrades-in-arms and is now serving out the remainder of his tour of duty in the states.

He's recently been assigned to a casualty notification squad, or as his fellow soldiers know it, the "angel of death" division. Will's new, tough-talking superior, Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), has warned him not to get too close to any of the next of kin.

But Will breaks that rule when he meets Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton). This mother of one almost seems unsurprised when Will and Tony show up on her doorstep.

Will, who's been nursing a broken heart, needs her comfort as much as she does his. Maybe even more.

Co-screenwriter/director Oren Moverman slowly peels back the layers to the characters, with the game cast helping considerably in that regard.

As Will, Foster is equal parts intensity and tenderness, and he has surprising chemistry with Morton.

His co-star, Harrelson, has had a good year cinematically — at least based on his believable turn in this film and his scene-stealing role in the horror-comedy "Zombieland."

Steve Buscemi is also good, in what amounts to a cameo as the grieving father of a soldier killed in action.

"The Messenger" is rated R and features strong sexual language (profanity, vulgar slang terms and other suggestive talk), full female and partial male nudity, simulated sex and other sexual contact, other off-color references and humor, derogatory language and slurs (some based on ethnicity and national origins), some brief violent content (war imagery and sounds, and fisticuffs, mostly implied), and brief drug references. Running time: 112 minutes.

e-mail: jeff@desnews.com