"Some stories are just too true to tell," says one character in this blazing new trailer for Kill The Messenger. This true story centers on reporter Gary Webb, who uncovered a massive CIA-fronted operation that resulted not only in the government-sanctioned shipment of drugs and illegal behavior by drug cartels, but also the protection and safety given to various drug kingpins and satellite criminals. Prepare for controversy!
This has been Jeremy Renner's baby for awhile, and the actor is both producing and starring in the film as Webb. The picture, directed by Renner's collaborator from 12 And Holding Michael Cuesta, looks like a full-throttle conspiracy thriller, managing to look very convincing while telling a big-screen story that is probably more intriguing and upsetting than the full truth actually reads. The movie takes its material from the book Kill The Messenger: How The CIA's Crack-Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb, which, as you may guess, has a very unhappy ending.
Webb's discoveries, as seen in this trailer via Apple, put him behind the eight ball as his three part Dark Alliance news story was discredited by the government in a carefully-calibrated smear campaign dedicated to ruining Webb's life. Eventually, Webb committed suicide, though the two different gunshot wounds to the head spurred speculation that there is more to the story. Webb made the CIA look bad, but he also potentially jeopardized missions and potentially lives. That's not exactly something the CIA just lets go. I's likely the movie will focus extensively on Webb's final days as he struggled to get a new job, provide for his family and battled paranoia as he struggled with uncovering a vast web of lies perpetrated by the American government and its intelligence agencies. The poster debuted yesterday, and you can check it out below.
There's a real solid cast featured in Kill The Messenger, with Renner leading an ensemble that includes Rosemarie DeWitt, Michael K. Williams, Ray Liotta, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Tim Blake Nelson, Michael Sheen, Paz Vega, Robert Patrick, Barry Pepper, Andy Garcia, Oliver Platt, Richard Schiff and Yul Vazquez. Cuesta, who has made a number of uncompromising indies, has recently been working on TV on shows like Homeland and Dexter, but his last feature film was the modest drama Roadie, about an aged wannabe rockstar returning to his hometown in Queens. Now he could be looking at a shot at some Oscar attention if the film generates the excitement that the trailer implies.
Kill The Messenger hits theaters October 10th. If you can't wait for your Renner fix, hopefully the superb The Immigrant is playing in a theater near you, and you can enjoy him in one of the year's best films.
