Plot
A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine ... See full summary »
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 7.1/10 (300 voted)
Critic's Score: 60/100
Director: Michael Cuesta
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Robert Patrick, Jena Sims
Storyline
A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California. Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb.
Writers: Peter Landesman, Gary Webb
Cast: Jeremy Renner -
Gary Webb
Robert Patrick -
Ronald J. Quail
Jena Sims -
Quail's Girlfriend
Robert Pralgo -
L.A. Sheriff
Hajji Golightly -
DEA Agent
Ted Huckabee -
Bob
Mary Elizabeth Winstead -
Anna Simons
Lucas Hedges -
Ian Webb
Rosemarie DeWitt -
Sue Webb
Matthew Lintz -
Eric Webb
Parker Douglas -
Christine Webb
Kai Schmoll -
Sacramento Journalist
Joshua Close -
Rich Kline
(as Josh Close)
Paz Vega -
Coral Baca
Aaron Farb -
Rafael Cornejo
Trivia:
Director Michael Cuesta calls Kill The Messenger "Jeremy Renner's greatest performance since The Hurt Locker." See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
"National security and crack cocaine in the same sentence. Does that
not sound strange to you?" Kill The Messenger dives into an intense and
important, often forgotten, segment of history. That being said, as the
title implies, the film ultimately centralizes around reporter Gary
Webb (Jeremy Renner) and what happens to him when he comes across this
shocking discovery. With strong performances by the cast and a clear
focus by the director, the film comes out shaky in a few parts but
overall provides a riveting and respectful look at this man's life.
Jeremy Renner is the star of this story, and he performs excellently.
Renner fully commits into becoming Webb. Besides decently looking like
the real Webb physically, he captures a wide range of emotions that the
man would have faced - from being a cool reporter to a struggling and
scared husband and father. Some characters do not impress as much in
their performances, but Renner is able to carry the lead role well
enough to support the film.
The cinematography and visuals fit the tone of the film very well.
Stylized heavily with its colors and the other external footage it
uses, the film gives off an aged and exciting feel, similar to other
movies from past decades. What ties it all together though is its clear
focus. Director Michael Cuesta has a clear goal of what he wants the
film to be about - Gary Webb. While not all the scenes succeed in
contributing to that, the majority of it is cohesive enough to let
audiences understand the characters without losing the intensity and
action of the larger picture - the cocaine smuggling.
With its commendable technical aspects and the important subject it
deals with, Kill The Messenger is definitely a film worth seeing.
Jeremy Renner and the director together bring a lot to the film, and
while it's not entirely superb, it gives a good two hours of
entertainment that means something, especially today. RATING: [8/10]
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