an energetic , visually stunning , but intellectually hollow recreation of the mysterious life of jeanne d'arc .
in history jeanne d'arc is lost in an ocean of mystery and controversy , which creates the perfect launching pad for talented and creative directors , who can basically alter the story as they wish .
she came in a time where people desperately needed a saint .
a hero that could rescue them for misery and deliver peace and happiness .
director / writer luc besson ( ' nikita ' , ' leon ' ) portrays his version of the peasant girl who commanded the armies of france and was burned at the stake for witchcraft .
besson tries to recreate the person behind the legend .
he tries not to show her as a saint or a villain .
he shows her as a human being .
in a time where blood was almost pouring from the sky , and the air smelled of rotten flesh , it is hard to keep your sanity .
the only support and hope is in god .
at the age of 13 , jeanne ( milla jovovich ) watches her own sister murdered and raped by the english soldiers .
this terrible event makes a lasting impact on jeanne 's mind .
god is no longer her support .
he has become her obsession .
she starts seeing visions and signs that command her to raise an army and free france from the siege of the english tyranny .
with the help of the wise yolande d'aragon ( faye dunaway ) and charles vii ( john malcovich ) , whose grand royal ambitions and life are at stake , jeanne raises an army and marches towards the english walls .
after this the film stays mostly on the battlefield , where besson demonstrates his ability to direct amazing action sequences , only occasionally resorting to a calmer tempo .
the movie is filled with dreamy , symbolic images of pure artistic craftsmanship , that create a surreal and occasionally paranoiac atmosphere .
the film is lost in time and space , hysterically jumping back and forth in jeanne 's thoughts , imagination and conscience .
besson 's visual style permits the audience to enter the medieval age , feel the smell of fresh blood and the adrenaline pumping in your body in the heat of battle .
but the film is far from being flawless .
the script needs a lot of polishing .
except for jeanne , there are no real characters .
and although
a grand star cast is assembled , their characters are nothing more than props , not more alive than the costumes that they are wearing .
as for the maiden of lorraine herself , she is portrayed as a simple girl , too small for her divine task .
in the latter part of the film , we see her as hysterical , confused and on the brink of madness , with her past purity and innocence for ever lost .
jovovich handles the part with more panache than one might expect .
but though her screen time is incredible excessive , both malcovich ( ' being john malcovich ' ) and dunaway ( ' titus ' ) surpass her rather overacted and simply unprofessional performance . and even hoffman manages to breathe some life into his dreadfully small part .
besides casting jovovich , besson 's only mistake is his extreme sense of patriotism that in the end ruins his so gloriously crafted painting .
there are some viscously evil englishmen that murder , pillage and betray with a smile on their faces .
and some incredibly brave and noble frenchmen , represented by the " three musketeers " of this story -- the brave gilles de rais ( vincent cassel ) , the wise aulon ( desmond harrington ) and the strong la hire ( richard ridings ) .
though all those actor perform well , their characters are nothing more than symbols -- banners that proclaim the glory of france .
and thus , there is no sense of realism in this film . '
the messenger ' has muscles instead of brains .
there is some relief in the end , where besson lays down his armor and starts thinking .
dustin hoffman 's appearance helps and the film ends elegantly and surprisingly effective with a climax worthy of praise .
jeanne 's character is unlocked , but whether god was in the picture or not , is never quite explained .
was she a confused peasant girl driven by her own hunger for revenge ?
or was she truly a messenger of god ?
the film poses as many questions as answers and nothing is completely obvious .
bess o messenger ' is nothing more than a fairly good film .
it is not much that you remember of it after you leave the theater .
maybe the sound , the dreamy sequences , but certainly not the dialogue .
it is an elegant and adrenaline pumping history lesson for the mtv - generation , that although presents some interesting material , works better when it 's on the battlefield .
some relief in the end energetic , visually stunning a grand star cast is assembled all those actor perform well worthy of praise an elegant and adrenaline pumping history lesson ends elegantly and surprisingly effective