It’s been a while since Jeremy Renner has had a lead in a movie. I think the last time I saw him headline something was Hurt Locker(I didn’t watch Bourne Legacy). Since then he’s been a great addition to any ensemble cast, Avengers and The Town are notable in my mind. Now he’s the lead in a movie based on a true story. A story about political intrigue, journalistic integrity and the implosion of one man’s personal and professional lives. Starring Jeremy Renner, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Oliver Platt and many more famous faces, this is Geek Ireland’s Kill The Messenger review.

Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb, The film takes place in the mid 1990s, when Webb uncovered the CIA’s past role in importing huge amounts of cocaine into the U.S. that was aggressively sold in ghettos across the country to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras rebel army. Gary figures all this out and even gets his controversial story published, but that’s just the beginning for Gary as he learns first hand the wrath of the American government.

What Kill The Messenger does well is the characters, they’re interesting, they’re diverse and we get some great performances, especially from Renner who is at his best. He brings that usual cocky attitude we’ve come to expect from him but also a vulnerable side which is shown through his many trials and tribulations. Renner is also surrounded by a great supporting cast, Winstead and Platt play Webbs friends and co workers who sadly start to lose belief in him as the movie progresses and it really tugs at the heart string as you watch them and Webbs family lose faith in this man who is simply trying to tell the truth. That’s actually another element that the director Michael Cuesta realy hit home with, the family dynamic. You want everything to work out okay with Webb and his family, you want him to be vindicated so he can go home and fix up his son’s motor bike with him( a wonderfully placed subplot which gives an emotional anchor for Webb).

Sadly along with all this intrigue and personal drama comes some of the usual tropes of every true story movie that’s based on the government and the little guy. Some of the scenes play out a little too long and needed to be trimmed down. The movie length felt bloated and at times felt like it was going nowhere before having to be pulled back into the story. These are however just nitpicks at an otherwise interesting movie. The cinematography is on form, splicing scenes together to show the state of the world at the time or showing the state of Webbs mind. The soundtrack is your usual true story affair, ominous at all the tense bits and inspirational when it needed to be. Nothing to write home about. Now I’m going to give Kill The Messenger a score and you might be surprised by it so let me explain it ahead of time, though I enjoyed Kill The Messenger and Renner is great in it there was nothing in the movie that grabbed me. It’s really as simple as that, it’s a good movie, not bad, not great, just good and in a way when telling a man’s story isn’t that the worst kind of reaction? What is the best element of this movie is the acting, Renner especially but it’s not enough. If you’re looking for a deeper popcorn flick than you would usually go for this is definitely up your alley.