It has finally been released in the UK this weekend, again only in select cinemas so I had quite a trek on my hands in order to see it. But I was damned if I wasn't going to make that journey.
In the end it turned out to be a good thing that it wasn't showing locally, as I made a weekend of it and stayed with a friend in Nottingham. We saw the film twice with another fellow Renner fan and found it especially poignant the second time around. Of course, that could be because we saw it as part of a double bill with the emotionally wrenching Big Hero 6.
I should stop rambling and get back to the point... The film tells the story of San Jose Mercury News reporter Gary Webb, at a time when a story that was "too true to tell" landed in his lap. The story was how the CIA was bringing cocaine into the U.S. and selling it to American kids in order to fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. Gary's decision to share that story would ultimately cost him more than he could ever have imagined.
I have to say that I love writing reviews for films that feature my favourite actors, as the presumption most people probably have is that I am biased. And whilst I am the first to admit that I would happily watch Renner act his way out of a paper bag, in this case, both the movie and the star were superb.
And if you think I'm biased, read any of my previous reviews for Renner films. I don't go overboard just because I enjoy watching him on screen. I appreciated Hansel and Gretel for it's cheesy popcorn quality but by no means did I think it was Oscar worthy. By that same standard I thought American Hustle was a much better movie, but that was largely due to the ensemble cast, not just down to Renner's performance. It was a film that was due the Oscar nominations it garnered.
Kill The Messenger on the other hand isn't really worthy of that accolade. That's not to say it's not a great film. It's just that non of the film making on show is particularly ground breaking to the point that you could say it was original. But it is a lovingly made true story, with great actors, and it leaves you with a genuine feeling of disappointment towards the U.S. Government and how they go about their business. Which is why I think Kill The Messenger has been given the sharp end of the stick when it came to having a wider release. I feel as though a large part of the reason for the film's lack of visibility in cinemas is down to it's distributor Focus Features, who I usually have a lot of respect for as they made Brokeback Mountain, a film which can't have been an easy to get backing for. They have largely abandoned the movie since it's October release and despite the film opening here this weekend, and Renner being in the UK to film the next instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise, he has not been scheduled to do any press for Kill The Messenger, and the Focus Features website has no information about the film's UK release this weekend. A shocking lack of support for a film telling an important story, one that Gary and his family have fought to be heard.
I saw in the Empire review for the film that they were disappointed that the big stars had such little screen time (Renner aside), but I think this is a silly quarrel to have with the movie as their roles only really warrant the screen time that they've been given. This is Gary's story, and the fact that Renner's own production company managed to get these guys to come in and do one scene speaks volumes of the respect they obviously have for him, that they would be so willing with their precious time for what is essentially a small movie.
If Kill The Messenger does happen to be on at a cinema near you, I urge you to see it. Not only to support the film, but also because you'd be hard pressed to find a better film that was released in the last month. 9 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 6th March 2015
UK Release Date - 6th March 2015
Cast Overview:
Jeremy Renner ~ Gary Webb
Rosemarie DeWitt ~ Sue Webb
Barry Pepper ~ Russell Dodson
Mary Elizabeth Winstead ~ Anna Simons
Oliver Platt ~ Jerry Ceppos
Tim Blake Nelson ~ Alan Fenster
Michael Sheen ~ Fred Weil
Andy Garcia ~ Norwin Meneses
Ray Liotta ~ John Cullen
Robert Patrick ~ Ronny Quail
Michael K Williams ~ Ricky Ross
Joshua Close ~ Rich Kline
Yul Vazquez ~ Danilo Blandon
Paz Vega ~ Coral Baca
Lucas Hedges ~ Ian Webb
Director ~ Michael Cuesta
Writer ~ Peter Landesman (Screenplay), Gary Webb (Book Dark Alliance), Nick Schou (Book Kill The Messenger)
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