l'd watched this movie in December 1996 for first time on television,in that time l'd rated 5/10 but now on full length DVD with original audio it's seem much better...Cannon made a lot of movies during the 80' action movies and J L Thompson was really good director of this kind of movies...Messenger of Death has Charles Bronson as newspaper's reporter an unusual role to "Stone Face",the plot is totally improbable but is around two Mormons families whom are in clash after women and children massacre,but Bronson suspicious that the real reason is an Water Company. Apart the plot the amazing Colorado landscape is breathtaking and the music score is properly fine,as always Bronson never disappoint his fans.

Charles Bronson plays a Denver Tribune crime reporter named Garret Smith who is investigating the circumstances of a massacre in the isolated Mormon community between two feuding brothers, both of whom deny responsibility, though blame the other. Turns out a third party is trying to cause a rift between them, so that their valuable property can be seized. Smith then becomes determined to find out who, even at risk to his own life.Surprisingly different role for Charles Bronson(he does not play the title character!) and he is quite good in it too, clearly enjoying doing something different. It's too bad that the film, while interesting, peters out into such an obvious conspiracy thriller, since it could have instead took a thoughtful look at the Mormon community, rather than having it in the background. Still, one of the better Bronson films from the end of his career.

Director J. Lee Thompson used Charles Bronson more than any other actor in his eighties movies (Ten to Midnight, Cabo Blanco, Death Wish 4, Murphys Law) and this was his second to last outing with Bronson (the last being Kinjite:Forbidden Subjects). Charles Bronson plays Garrett Smith, a reporter who is very curious as to why a family of Mormons (women and children) were all shot to death in a rural farmhouse. He finds a sketch of an angel on a piece of paper that is taped to the wall where one of the victims bodies had laid against. From here, Bronson goes from source to source to try to unravel whatever mystery he has bounded himself in. For those who prefer the 'Paul Kersey/Death Wish' Charles Bronson, you might wanna look elsewhere for a movie, this is a Bronson action character of a different type. He seems to be a very laidback individual and he doesn't really possess that knack of persistently annoying people like most reporters do, but Bronson as usual makes the character work. The plot is very strong, the mystery of the movie definitely kept me guessing until the very, very end of the movie and then BANG! it's all over... I miss Cannon films...

Easily skip-able Charles Bronson movie that starts out strongly but doesn't follow through. He unconvincingly plays a Denver reporter covering a case of a Mormon family living in the Colorado mountains who had nine members massacred, including five children. He then sets out to find the killer by visiting the eccentric community and finds that much of the evidence leads to a family feud between two brothers, along with ties to a water company. Why Chuck's character would feel so personally bent on dealing out vengeance when it's not his own flesh and blood didn't ever strike me as authentic. J. Lee Thompson directs (as usual) and manages to serve up some pretty scenery along with a good cast including John Ireland and Jeff Corey, but this is rather weak tea. ** out of ****