Kill the Messenger (2014)

"Kill the Messenger" is not a bad movie, but neither a masterpiece. It's just sad. As life, since that's where the subject comes from anyway ...

It seems that at some point in the '80s CIA decided to finance a war in Nicaragua through the sell of crack cocaine in the States. Sounds legit, right ? A bit hard to get an official budget for such needs. Well, the story was of course "classified" until of course somebody uncovered it (after more than 10 years). The subject of the movie is that somebody, Gary Webb, investigation journalist at a remote newspaper, and his inquiry on the case. Which let's say ends successfully, but a bit sad for the author. Well, enough with the spoilers, more in the movie ...

Like I said, the movie is ok, but it doesn't shine. With some luck Jeremy Renner might catch and Oscar nod next year, his acting being by far better than what I've seen in "The Hurt Locker" or "The Town". Something else on the plus side would be the cinematography (Sean Bobbitt). Aside these ... A bit too cliche for a real-life story. And a bit too non-filmic for a real-life story. Not that the subject isn't fit for a movie, but it seems to me that there are too many threads covered too fast, or left hanging (I assume because there's no data about their end). Like ephemeral confessions of former CIA agents in the middle of the night, kidnapped bankers with a fate that you can only suspect, and others. Maybe I'm a bit tired and a bit too picky, but I think that what I've watched fits better a documentary than a feature film. And to justify that more, if you want a real-life story transposed on screen well enough to catch you, there are better options: "The Insider" for a "messenger" under pressure, "Blow" for cocaine traffic in US, or even "The Informant" despite the fact that instead cocaine we have nutrients for animals, but at least might manage to get a smile from you from time to time :).

Rating: 3 out of 5