Jack is something of a psychic or medium who sees the dead. Or rather they seek him out to send messages to the loved ones they have left behind and did not get the chance to say goodbye to. Now the idea is far from new but the film tries to see it from Jack's perspective.We get the back story in flashbacks and also the constant analysis of his psychiatrist. There is also his estranged sister and the attempts to reconnect. The film itself struggles to find the moments that are essential for a thriller, so has to rely instead on the story. That is where it comes unstuck in that it tends to plod and despite the inspirational landscapes, that are a recurring theme, it still remains essentially bleak.The cinematography is excellent and the acting is all top rate. Robert Sheehan as Jack is very good as the troubled – but essentially well meaning – young man who has been branded because of his 'powers'. Tamazin Merchant is his 'worried' sister and is also fine. It is though a pretty grim watch with no denouements that will lighten the load. However, it is still a more than watchable affair for all that and it kept my attention for the duration – so can't be too bad.

I see dead people has been done before, and better. In this case we're drawn into the life of someone who has seen dead people for a long time. Instead of taking advantage of what would be an awesome ability, he wallows in self-pity, self-destruction, and stupid common sense mistakes (don't talk to dead peoples' families AT the funeral!).The problem with this movie isn't the subject matter, or the ability to see dead people and want to complete a "mission" and speak to those still living on behalf of the dead person. The problem is that you never feel anything for the protagonist. He has completely abdicated any sense that his gift is beneficial; to him it is only an anchor weighing him down from doing....what? Night retail work at the local Tesco? Since you never feel any sympathy for the main character despite many flashbacks and inferences that he deserves our understanding and compassion, you never feel like he has been given anything less than a gift that he refuses to take advantage of. And the movie becomes frustrating throughout because of it. Frustrating, then annoying. You want to scream at the screen, just tell them something only a dead person would know about the circumstances, stop coming off like a stalker creep, oh and by the way brush your teeth, take a shower, and change your clothes.A moment of validation wasted is when he is talking with his nephew and he finds they share a bond; finally, he knows he is not crazy. Easily that serves as a time when both could find solace in one another, provide strength, support...but no.Strong acting by Sheehan can't save this rubbish heep from just wishing the movie would fast forward to something more substantial instead of the petty sobbing of a man who has been given an extraordinary gift and chooses to waste it.

Jack is a troubled adult, who's had a troubled life. In fact, everything about him is troubled, and trouble.After a major life event affected him as a child, he has since had the ability to be pestered by troubled souls, dead people, and because of this he is stamped as a mental health problem (but talking to souls in a pub looking very dishevelled and unkempt doesn't help).After a journalist is found dead, and it looking like suicide, Jack is hounded by the soul, because something wasn't quite right about his death, and he's trying to get a message to his loved one......hence the title.....If you take Randall & Hopkirk (deceased), then add elements of The Sixth Sense and Ghost, you get this quite gritty, suburban Gothic horror.Sheehan excels as our protagonist, not doing his character any favours by playing Jack as a very dis-likable person, but because of his back-story, you can forgive his shortcomings, as the narrative depicts his childhood to be less than pleasurable.The film focuses on grieving, forgiveness and guilt, as the immediate characters to Jack perceive his 'gift' as a result of his fathers death, and how the family unit changed when he and his sister became fatherless.It's a shame that the gift stemmed from sudden loss, because this just seems like a cheap excuse from the makers to make him seem like a 'weirdo' to others, and the on,y one who believes him is involved in a minor sub-plot that becomes a major twist come the end.It's not a bad film by any means, it's just disjointed and doesn't know what to do with all the sub-plots going on, and in turn, it never really wraps itself up for a satisfactory conclusion.But the cast are great, the cinematography is wonderfully bleak and cold, but I fear many will miss the grieving/loss/guilt element of the narrative and see it as a straight up horror.Worth watching though.

The Messenger is a slow burn, psycho supernatural mystery. Jack, played by Robert Sheehan, is a medium, of a scruffy, unkempt, variety. Jack's abilities have not made him rich or famous. Instead, Jack is marginalized by society and in an real sense, condemned by his talent. Jack leads a life of dispossession and isolation. This film, in large part, takes place inside Jacks head. The plot builds ever so subtly and there are segues that make you question what exactly is taking place. The question of who and what Jack is, is as much a mystery as the unfolding story of a murdered journalist. Is Jack in fact in possession of supernatural abilities that let him talk to the murdered reporter or is he, more plausibly, mentally ill? The story is explained, in part, by references to Jacks past. The movement between the past and present can be somewhat disorientating. For me this was one of the few annoyances in this film but a necessary one when the films conclusion is finally reached. The acting, especially Sheehans performance, is remarkable. Sheehan makes you empathize with and in an odd way, appreciate and understand Jack, especially when his past is brought to bear on his current predicament. All in all this is really worthwhile, very human story. Its not for the impatient so if you like you rewards early on this film may not be for you. If, however, you are willing to take the time, you may come to see what an excellent, if understated work, The Messenger is. Nine out of ten from me.