The Messenger: A Dusty, Forgettable Drama

Is this thing worth your time?

Honestly? Only if you’re a massive fan of pre-war French cinema or just really, really need to see Jean Gabin look brooding in a suit. If you want something fast-paced, skip this immediately. People who love stuff like Az utolsó bohém might find the vibe familiar, but for everyone else, it’s a bit of a slog.

The whole thing feels like a stage play that someone accidentally filmed. It’s got that stiff, theatrical air where people announce their feelings instead of actually acting them out. Gabin does his best, but he’s basically just wandering through a desert waiting for something to happen.

The Setup

So, Nick is this Parisian guy who can’t catch a break. He ditches his rich American wife, marries his secretary, and then decides the best way to handle his career failures is to move to an African outpost. It’s a bold strategy. Maybe not a good one, but bold.

He brings along this kid, Gilbert. The scenes between them at the outpost feel strangely empty, like they’re waiting for a cue that never comes. The heat is supposed to be oppressive, but you mostly just see them sweating in their crisp shirts.

The Tangent

There’s this one moment where Gilbert gets sick and has to go back to Paris. It’s such a convenient plot device that it’s almost impressive. You can practically hear the writers going, “Okay, how do we get the boy back to the wife? Oh, malaria! Perfect.”

• The transition from Africa to Paris is jarring.
• Gabin’s letters to his wife feel like they were written by a robot.
• The pacing in the middle act? Non-existent.

When Gilbert actually gets to Paris and meets Marie, the tension is... well, it’s polite. Nobody is really yelling or causing a scene. It’s all very civilized, which makes the whole 'betrayal' aspect feel a bit toothless. It’s not Professional Sweetheart, that's for sure.

I kept waiting for a big blow-up, a scene where someone breaks a chair or at least raises their voice. Instead, we get a lot of lingering shots of people looking pensively out of windows. It feels like the director was afraid to let the actors actually get messy with their emotions.

It’s not a bad movie, but it’s just there. It occupies space. If you’re bored on a rainy Sunday, maybe? Otherwise, I’d probably just re-watch something else entirely. 🤷‍♂️