Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

I give it five stars for being French, they know how to make a serious movie. But seriously, the violence isn't gratuitous or silly but instead it is well choreographed and believable. The first half of the movie moves along at a gallop but slows to a canter in the second half as Joan loses the support of her King and begins to question her own faith. The scenes between Milla Jovovich as Joan and God played by Dustin Hoffman were especially slow. Still I think Milla Jovovich did a credible job through the whole movie to paint a picture of a woman fiercely in love with her god. She never seems truly fanatical, only driven with the belief and surety of one who has had her faith tested at a young age and came out of it stronger. It was hard to watch the ending when Joan is burned on the stake because the special effects made it look pretty gruesome. Finally, I have no idea what the French accent was almost 600 years ago but I became truly annoyed at the way Milla Jovovich pronounced God. She swallowed the "o" so it sound more like gud, rhyming with cud. She said gud a lot and it wore on me. Overall, enjoyable with good performances by Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, and Faye Dunaway.