Kill the Messenger Information

Kill the Messenger is a 2014 American crime thriller film directed by Michael Cuesta and written by Peter Landesman. It is based on the book of the same name by Nick Schou and the book Dark Alliance by Gary Webb which focuses on CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking. The film stars Jeremy Renner in his first film as a producer. The film was released on October 10, 2014.

Plot

Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb, the film takes place in the mid-1990s. Webb uncovered the CIA's alleged role in importing crack cocaine into the U.S. to secretly fund the Nicaraguan contra rebels. Despite enormous pressure to stay away, Webb chose to pursue the story and went public with his evidence, publishing the series called "Dark Alliance". He then experienced a vicious smear campaign fueled by the CIA, during which he found himself defending his integrity, his family, and his life.

Cast

• Jeremy Renner as Gary Webb
• Rosemarie DeWitt as Susan Webb
• Ray Liotta as John Cullen
• Tim Blake Nelson as Alan Fenster
• Barry Pepper as Russell Dodson
• Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Anna Simons
• Paz Vega as Coral Baca
• Oliver Platt as Jerry Ceppos
• Michael Sheen as Fred Weil
• Richard Schiff as Walter Pincus
• Andy Garca as Norwin Meneses
• Robert Patrick as Ronny Quail
• Michael K. Williams as "Freeway" Rick Ross
• Jena Sims as Little Hottie
• Joshua Close as Rich Kline
• Yul Vazquez as Danilo Blandon
• Robert Pralgo as Sheriff Nelson
• Lucas Hedges as Ian Webb
• Michael Rose as Jonathan Yarnold
• Matthew Lintz as Eric Webb
• Michael H. Cole as Pete Carey
• David Lee Garver as Douglas Farah
• Andrew Masset as Johnathan Krim

Production

On March 5, 2014, Focus Features announced that the film would be released on October 10, 2014.

Filming

Principal photography began on July 16, 2013 in several Georgia locations, including Atlanta, Cobb County and Decatur.

Music

Nathan Johnson composed the score for the film, and Back Lot Music release a soundtrack album on October 7, 2014.

Release

Kill the Messenger received a regional theatrical release on October 10, 2014.

Critical reception

The film has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a "Certified Fresh" rating of 77%, based on 118 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "Kill the Messenger's potent fury over the tale of its real-life subject overrides its factual inaccuracies and occasional narrative stumbles." On Metacritic, the film currently has a rating of 60 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Controversy over film distribution

Several weeks after the Kill the Messenger premiere, the significant lack of advertising for the film and its rapid retraction from theaters led to the creation of a petition to re-release the film in theaters on November 24th, 2014 through Change.org, entitled "Focus Features: Support Gary Webb and Re-Release Kill the Messenger in Theaters." This petition was also spurred on after Focus Features failed to attend a private screening for the film hosted by the Writers Guild of America in mid-November, despite positive reviews for the film. Through the petition and direct appeals to Focus Features, attention was drawn to the fact that the film distribution company aired more national television commercials for Kill the Messenger six weeks after the premiere date than they did before the film was released in theaters, and almost exclusively outside of primetime hours and off of major broadcasting companies. As a result of this marketing campaign, the highest domestic television coverage for Kill the Messenger occurred when it had been retracted from all but 18 theaters in the United States and three weeks before its theatrical run was ended. Attention was also drawn to the large discrepancy in the amount of television advertising that Focus Features gave to each of its fall releases, specifically between Kill the Messenger, which was given a total of 448 national advertisements, to Theory of Everything which was nationally aired 3,046 times and largely on major television networks (i.e., ABC, NBC, CBS, MTV).

The petition picked up a strong momentum through social media, accruing over 2,000 signatures in less than two weeks. The weekend of December 5th, Focus Features expanded Kill the Messenger to 19 additional theaters, for a sum of 27 theaters overall. On December 11th, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment announced the DVD release date for Kill the Messenger, several days before the petition reached 2,500 signatures. After mid-December, promotion for the film's petition stalled after several members involved with unofficial promotion of Kill the Messenger reportedly began to experience anonymous online harassment and recurring email hacks. In early February, Kill the Messenger was leaked online, and was reportedly among the top ten films with the most unauthorized downloads for several weeks.

Awards and Nominations

Year	Awarding Body	Category	Recipients	Result
2014	Women Film Critics Circle	Best Actor	Jeremy Renner
		Best Male Images in a Movie	Jeremy Renner, Barry Pepper, Andy Garcia, Tim Blake Nelson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Robert Patrick, Michael Sheen, Oliver Platt, Lucas Hedges, Josh Close, Ray Liotta
2014	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Joe Barber Award-Best Portrayal of Washington D.C.	Michael Cuesta, Jeremy Renner, Don Handfield, Peter Landesman, Michael Bederman, Sean Babbit
2014	James Agee Cinema Circle	Best Progressive Picture	Michael Cuesta, The Combine
		Robeson Award	Michael Cuesta, The Combine
		Best Actor	Jeremy Renner
2015	Georgia Film Critics Association	Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema	Michael Cuesta, Peter Landesman
2015	Golden Trailer Awards	Most Original Poster	Focus Features, Ignition
2015	Traverse City Film Festival	Best American Film	Michael Cuesta
2015	Whistle Blower Summit for Civil & Human Rights	Pillar Award for Best Whistle Blower Film	Michael Cuesta

See also

• CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking
• Gary Webb