[psycho d]

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). For those of you that want the most accurate history of Joan of Arc (or any other figure) then go read a book. For the rest of us that enjoy movie based on historical interpretations, then this wonderful flick by Luc Besson will be sure to entertain. Instead of pigeon-holing us into his version of the truth, Luc instead asks more questions than he answers, and then leaves the viewer to ponder them. And he does this with a wonderfully constructed movie that is brutal, at times humorous, and always stylish. Milla Jovovich's performance elicits a character whose insufferable drive to do God's work teeters on the brink of sanity, just as she should be. Her supporting cast is just as solid, with Faye Dunaway, John Malkovich, Dustin Hoffman, and Tcheky Karyo just to name a few. The cast here is used to create an army of good, bad, and mostly in between characters. Even the clergy is portrayed without overtly vilifying them. The script was solid, the direction great. The camera work work did wonders to capture the discomfiting sense of Joan's visions. Overall, this rather long movie ended too soon for these secular eyes. Late.
d