So much average

From my favorite movies..

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Messenger of Death (1988) ** (out of 4) After three women and several children of a Mormon family are brutally murdered, reporter Garret Smith (Charles Bronson) begins to investigate and it seems the possible suspect might be between two rival members of that family. As the reporter gets deeper into his investigation his own life comes into jeopardy.MESSENGER OF DEATH is that Bronson movie where he kills nobody. With that said, it should come as no surprise that this film was the least popular of his Cannon movies at both the box office and the video rental market. If you ask die-hard Bronson fans what their least favorite Cannon film is more than likely they're going to name this if they've even seen it. MESSENGER OF DEATH doesn't completely work but it's still a mildly entertaining mystery that at least gives us a chance to see Bronson in a different type of role.J. Lee Thompson does a pretty good job in his directing duties and especially during the opening sequence where a mystery man enters a house and murders several people. The editing of this sequence is very well-done and the director handles it quite well. I'd argue that we're also given a couple fun action scenes including Bronson in a jeep going up against a couple semis trying to run him off the road. As far as the legend actor goes, for the most part he's actually pretty good here. He's certainly believable as a reporter and it's nice seeing him in this type of role. The supporting cast is also good in their parts and you'll also see some familiar faces including Gene Davis (10 TO MIDNIGHT), Tom Everett and Kimberly Beck (FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER).So, where does MESSENGER OF DEATH go wrong? For starters, the budget was extremely low so I'm sure many interesting scenes were never filmed. Another problem is that its main story just isn't all that interesting. The mystery aspect could have been played up a lot better but too often the film falls back to a formula action picture where we see Bronson whooping up on people. These action scenes just don't sit too well with an otherwise talky picture. MESSENGER OF DEATH isn't your typical Bronson movie but it's certainly not the worst of his career.

A well renowned newspaper reporter, Garret Smith(Charles Bronson),for the Denver Tribune, writes an article on the slaughter of a Mormon family, soon investigating it. He discovers that the massacred family's patriarch, Orville Beecham(Charles Dierkop) is feuding with his brother, Zenas(John Ireland) over a religious separation, a change in doctrine which divided them to the point of hatred. Smith believes someone else hired an assassin to kill the family(which included seven children)and it could be over artesian water rights Zenas wouldn't sell to the Colorado Water Company because it was farm land going back generations. Trish Van Devere is the owner of a small newspaper company who also has familial ties to the Beechams and joins forces with Smith hoping to help uncover the culprits responsible for the murders of relatives. MESSENGER OF DEATH is a bit different than the usual Bronson fare for Cannon Group, his Garret Smith more of a peacemaker trying to keep two families from annihilating each other, almost successful until the hit-man returns to sniper shoot one of the Beechams instigating a shootout which leaves very little men left. Laurence Luckinbill(Sybock of STAR TREK V)is Homer Foxx, a big supporter for the mayoral candidate, Chief Barney Doyle(Daniel Benzali), and who has an uncanny ability to motivate charitable contributions from the wealthy elite. John Solari is the repulsive assassin who, at the opening of the film, unloads shot gun blasts into defenseless Mormon women without hesitation. Gene Davis(many will recognize as the psychopath Bronson is after in 10 TO MIDNITE) is the assassin's tag-along who wants to come clean to Garret..for a price. The storyline is a little more unique than what we are accustomed to seeing in an action vehicle for Bronson, although he does get to beat the assassin's ass at the end. There's a hairy, suspenseful near-death sequence for Smith and Van Devere's Jastra Watson when two huge Colorado Water Company trucks attempt to crash them. As she does once again, Van Devere's warm, pleasant presence adds quality to the film as does the old timers like Ireland and Jeff Corey(as Willis Beecham, leader of his family's village, moving his men to act against Zenas who he believes killed Orville's family). Smith treads lightly around his more aristocratic peers, two of which own the Colorado Water Company, and is a best friend to the Denver Chief of Police. I felt the major star of this particular film was the breathtaking Denver locations.

This is a very good Bronson thriller, that's at times creepy, with an amazing performance from Charles Bronson!. It's pretty engaging, and at times very creepy, and the ending was very memorable, plus it had quite a few shocking moments. The first 10 minutes were absolutely fantastic, it had lots of tension and was very creepy, and it was cool to see Bronson do something different, plus it was unpredictable throughout!. If your looking for lots of action, look elsewhere, however if your looking for a very good thriller, look no further as the film provides plenty of thrills and suspense!, plus the finale was great and very suspenseful. I wasn't expecting much from this film, because a lot of people consider it to be one of Bronson's worst, however i enjoyed it very much and i highly recommend it!. The Direction is very good. J. Lee Thompson does a very good job here, with good camera work and keeping the film at an engaging pace!. There is a tiny bit of blood. We get quite a few bloody gunshot wounds but that's it. The Acting is excellent!. Charles Bronson is AMAZING as he always was, and is Amazing here, he is extremely likable, convincing, was intense, kicked that ass, and was tons of fun to watch! (Bronson ruled!). Trish Van Devere is okay with what she had to do, and did her job adequately. Laurence Luckinbill is good when he was on screen and did his job well. Daniel Benzali is also good with what she had to do. Charles Dierkop,Jeff Corey and John Ireland are all awesome as the Beecham's. rest of the cast are fine. Overall highly recommended!. ***1/2 out of 5

Messenger of Death (1988) was a huge disappointment for a Cannon film starring Charles Bronson. After making some very violent, sleazy and exploitive fare for Cannon, this movie was a big let down for fans of his eighties films. This was a boring and tedious movie. The direction was lackadaisical and the actor was pedestrian and unmotivated. Bronson looked extremely bored and was nearing the end of his acting career. This film expiated his retirement. Too bad because this film could have been a much better than what it turned out to be.Charles Bronson had a good run during the early to mid eighties. It's a shame he couldn't have ended his career with a big bang instead of a boring movie and a few years later in a retread sequel to a dead film series. Fitting that his film career ended as Cannon films was dying as well.Not recommended at all. Considering the talent in front and behind the camera.