Milla Jovavich stars as the legendary martyr in this film from visionary Luc Besson (Fifth Element and La Femme Nikita).

Bessor tells this story with a lot of scope, but not much heart. The sets are big, the costumes are stunning, and the battle sequences are enormous, but Messenger lacks an emotional center. It's sort of a disjointed, low rent version of Braveheart.

Besson also takes liberties with the story and tries to put an all too 90s twist on this familiar subject matter.

Braveheart worked because it made you feel like you were witnessing the birth of a legend. Messenger just doesn't have that. It's just a big, hollow mess with pretty scenery. Even the performances are somewhat lackluster.

Jovovich looks the part but can't seem to embody the spirit of this well known enigma in history. Even John Malkovich seems to be bored.

Messenger suffers from the same fate as Besson's The Fifth Element. He's so concerned with the look of the picture, that he forgets all about the story he is telling.

The made for T.V. movie with Leelee Sobieski was much better.