Messenger of Death Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1988

In Messenger of Death, a family of Mormons has been brutally slaughtered in a sleepy Colorado town, down to the last child. What begins as an investigation of a blood feud between brothers eventually expands into a potential conspiracy involving members of Denver's high society. And it's up to Garret Smith, an inquisitive reporter, to piece together this bloody puzzle.

Charles Bronson was a gifted actor who experienced a long and diverse career, but during the late 70's and early 80's he became typecast as America's favorite vigilante, out to rid the streets of criminal filth. Messenger of Death, one of the later films in his career, breaks this typecast and puts Bronson into the shoes of Garret Smith, a respected reporter for the leading Denver newspaper.

Smith takes interest in a brutal family slaying that left only one man alive; a father, husband and grandfather of those assassinated. Together with fellow reporter Jastra Watson (Trish Van Devere), Smith investigates the case and discovers the cause points to a blood feud between brothers that lead separate religious cults.

But the truth lies even deeper, and as brother arms against brother it is up to Smith to try and find those responsible for the killings before the two cults decimate each other. As he nears closer to the shocking truth, Smith's own life becomes threatened as the killers set their sights on him.

This film is actually a suspense/mystery rather than a high-octane action film. Although there are violent interludes, ultimately this is a tale of a man uncovering a conspiracy, one dangerous truth at a time. Don't walk into Messenger of Death expecting Bronson to gun down opponents or you will leave disappointed.

So does the film succeed? Yes… sorta. The onscreen chemistry Bronson possesses keeps the movie interesting, and the actors who play the religious zealots are convincing. Trish Van Devere succeeds in working with Bronson fairly well – although her performance were never destined to win any awards, it was solid enough not to be a distraction to the movie.

If there was a disappointment to be found, it would be the performance of Daniel Benzali, who played Barney Doyle, chief of police and Garret Smith's friend. Benzali's character lacked any sort of personality or chemistry, which is surprising since I enjoyed Benzali's work in his future projects such as the 90's television series Murder One. Although his role wasn't terribly fleshed out to start with, it's clear this talented actor snoozed his way through this role.

Ultimately Messenger of Death keeps your attention as you watch it, but once the film is finished chances are you'll quickly forget about it. Fans of conspiracy or murder-mystery movies will probably find this to be an interesting film and deem it worthy of a view, but Bronson fans looking for a bloody action flick should definitely look elsewhere.

Movie rating: 6 stars

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Charles Bronson
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