Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 4.0
Great performance by Milla Jovovich!
The bottom line here is that nobody knows what made Joan tick. We can deduce from her actions and her trial that she was a very complicated young woman, but beyond that it's open to interpretation. Was she insane? - What about her predictions? Or possessed? - I for one can't even imagine what that really means. Perhaps she was just very impressionable and instead of monsters under her bed she saw angels? That she was well schooled in current political affairs I think we can rule out.The movie had several inaccuracies the most disturbing of which was the rape scene. It seemed to have been done to rationalize her motives and was completely unnecessary. (Save that for the rape of Boudicca's daughters or something factual, for the scene was effective, if loathsome.) Also, the last half hour of redemption, justification and explanation with her "vision" was utterly uninteresting.That aside, Milla Jovovich was brilliant and convincing. She certainly portrayed a very strong willed, confused and angry girl capable of controlling an army. The fact that she came close to tears at all the bloodshed didn't contradict anything. We can't forget that this was still a child in very unusual circumstances. Without Milla the movie would have been so-so.