The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) is Luc Besson's historical war drama, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Milla Jovovich plays the peasant girl who led France's army against the English and burned her way into legend.

A village set ablaze and a sister killed in front of her — that is where Joan's road begins. She talks her way to the Dauphin Charles (John Malkovich), wins a company of soldiers and breaks the siege of Orleans. Men follow her because they believe voices from God speak through her. The louder her fame grows, the harder the film presses one question: who is really giving the orders. Faye Dunaway appears as Yolande of Aragon, and Dustin Hoffman shows up as a strange figure who picks her visions apart.

Besson skips the saint's halo and films a fanatical, doubting, very young woman at war. Vincent Cassel and Tcheky Karyo ride among her captains. The cut runs close to three hours and never softens the battlefield. Stream The Messenger (1999) online on iFILM.