Best of 2009 (Part 3 of 10)

8) “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Pictures, dir. Oren Moverman)

One could view this as a cross between The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air as Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson play two U.S. soldiers who must inform the families of slain troops that their sons, husbands or fathers died while fighting in the Middle East. Hopefully, this film will turn into a breakthrough for Foster, who has been one of the most underappreciated – and thus underutilized – talented actors in Hollywood for quite some time.

Here's the trailer: