Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 5.0
Compelling and moving
I do not know how historically accurate this movie is, but I sat glued to the screen for the whole movie. This movie is not for people who want to see Joan of Arc as a simple saint, and it probably will not please many Christians. Although it is clear that Luc Besson thought that Joan truly believed she was a messenger from God. The issues raised by this movie are not simple, but are extremely moving. What is Good and what is Evil? Is any war a just one? Why did she believe in the goodness of the King of France who eventually sold her out to the English? The movie is as much about the God and Man as it is about Joan of Arc. Was it her destiny all along to be burned at the stake, just as it was Christ's destiny to be crucified? The movie seems to suggest so. Some other reviewers didn't like Milla Jovanovich's acting. I thought she was excellent.