‘The Messenger’
3 stars
An Iraqi War hero must notify families when a soldier dies. At the Angelika, Lincoln Plaza (1:45). R: Language, sexuality.
A somber drama about intimate wartime tragedies, Oren Moverman’s debut feels more respectful than real. But similar stories happen every day in this country, and Moverman and his cast make a determined effort to honor them.
Ben Foster is Will, an officer assigned a painfully difficult task: informing families of a soldier’s death. He’s trained by Tony (Woody Harrelson), whose gruffness barely hides the job’s emotional cost.
The passionate emotions evoked by Foster, Harrelson and co-star Samantha Morton are likely to impress, though their performances and dialogue retain an outsider’s self-consciousness. For contrast, look to the naturalistic intensity of “The Hurt Locker,” which remains the finest fictionalized take on this war.
Elizabeth Weitzman
‘Women in Trouble’
1 star
Several women deal with life crises in a single day. With Carla Gugino, Emmanuelle Chriqui. At the Loews Village 7 and AMC Empire (1:35). R: Sexuality, language.
This forced, charmless multi-character movie pretends to show women in all their glorious variety, but it really just traffics in the same old cliches. Carla Gugino emerges relatively unscathed, despite playing a porn star with a good heart (who could have guessed!). But her castmates, including Emmanuelle Chriqui, Simon West, Sarah Clarke and, in one brief scene, Josh Brolin, might as well be doing bad off-off-Broadway monologues from two decades ago (the wronged wife, the selfish husband, the apple-cheeked whore, etc.).
Writer-director Sebastian Gutierrez seems to think his characters are oh-so-edgy, and maybe they would be — if it were 1982.
Joe Neumaier
‘William Kunster: Disturbing the Universe’
2 stars
Documentary about the late, controversial New York lawyer. (1:30). Unrated. At Cinema Village.
Despite its familial ties, “Defending the Universe” is a thoughtful, clear-eyed look at the life and career of Kunstler, the New York attorney who was famous, and infamous, for standing up for his liberal ideals even for clients who might have been morally objectionable. With glimpses of Kunstler’s private life and examinations of his public battles — for the Chicago Eight, the Native Americans at Wounded Knee and the defendants in the Central Park jogger case, to name three — this doc, made by Kunstler’s daughters Emily and Sarah, doesn’t pretend to be unbiased, but it nonetheless has an unblinking view of its subject. They must have learned a thing or two from dad.
J.N.
Movie ReviewOren MovermanBen FosterWoody HarrelsonCarla GuginoEmmanuelle ChriquiMovie ReviewsMoviesEntertainmentElizabeth WeitzmanJoe NeumaierSamantha Morton
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