The Film
Based on a true story, Kill The Messenger follows reporter Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner) as he uncovers, and delves deeper for the truth about the C.I.A importing drugs to sell, and fund a war in a foreign country. Webb soon becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that pushes him out of the job he loves, and drives him right to the edge.
Kill The Messenger is not an action film, it is a drama, a thriller, and laced with political intrigue. It will have you cheering Webb, as he stubbornly pursues his ultimate goal, and will have you feeling great sympathy as his life spirals downward from the many attacks on his character and integrity.
This is one engrossing story, and definitely one to recommend. It will have you glued to the screen from beginning to end, and the ensemble cast bring a tour de force of acting talent to the screen.
It is a wonder how much dramatic licence was taken in the making of the film, and how true things remain to the actual events. The core story however, is an eye opener. It would certainly have been great to have a “making-of” featurette, and perhaps some documentary footage and a commentary, to find out more about these shocking, yet completely engrossing events, about how far those in positions of power will indeed go, in order to fulfil their goals.
Kill The Messenger, is one of those “must see” movies, with an interesting story, talented cast, and a thrill to watch.
Disc And Bonus Features
The disc is encoded at a high bitrate, meaning it can be viewed on a larger screen, and has no visible artefacts. Sound is presented in a 5.1 soundtrack, adding to the on-screen action. While this does not give the surrounds a massive workout, it does make fair use of them.
There are unfortunately no bonus features on the disc, other than some trailers at the beginning.
Kill The Messenger is available now, to purchase, on disc in South Africa.