Messenger of Death

Messenger of Death
Messenger of Death
Directed by J. Lee Thompson
Produced by Pancho Kohner
Written by Rex Burns (novel The Avenging Angel)
Paul Jarrico (screenplay)
Starring Charles Bronson
Trish Van Devere
Laurence Luckinbill
Daniel Benzali
Marilyn Hassett
John Ireland
Charles Dierkop
Jeff Corey
Music by Robert O. Ragland
Cinematography Gideon Porath
Editing by Peter Lee-Thompson
Distributed by Cannon Films
Release date(s) September 16, 1988 (USA)
Running time 91 mins.
Country  United States
Language English
Budget unknown
Box office $3,074,681 (USA)

Messenger of Death is a 1988 film starring Charles Bronson about an attempt by a water company to start a family feud among fundamentalist Mormons to take the family's land for the company.

This was one of the final films in the long career of J. Lee Thompson, director of such well-known pictures as The Guns of Navarone and Cape Fear.

Plot

Children play outside a rural Colorado home. They belong to Orville Beecham (Charles Dierkop) and his three wives. Two masked men pull up in a truck and wait for the children to go inside. They proceed to kill the three mothers, who are sister wives, and then the kids. The police arrive before the father, Orville, who returns to find his family massacred.

Arriving on the scene with the chief of police, Barney Doyle (Daniel Benzali) is a Denver newspaper reporter, Garret Smith (Charles Bronson). They were having lunch with a wealthy local businessman, Homer Foxx (Laurence Luckinbill), to discuss how to get Barney elected mayor when Barney was called about the murders.

Garret does a news story on the massacre. Orville in a local jail, there "for his own protection." Orville is reluctant to talk to Garret but does reveal that his father, Willis Beecham (Jeff Corey), may have been involved. Willis lives in a compound with his followers. He is a fundamentalist Mormon who practices polygamy, as do his son and followers. Willis is the sect's prophet.

Willis tells the reporter that he believes that it was his brother, Zenas Beecham (John Ireland), who killed Orville's family. Willis and Zenas are alienated from each other by a doctrinal dispute.

Garret, aided by a local editor named Jastra Watson (Trish Van Devere), begins to investigate if Zenas could be behind the killings. Zenas lives in a different Colorado county on a large farm that happens to sit on an artesian lake that a large corporation, The Colorado Water Company, has wanted for years. Zenas tells the reporter that Orville probably killed the family of his own son because Willis preaches blood atonement. The symbol of both brothers is an avenging angel, which is alleged to be an early Mormon symbol with a doctrinal counterpart reflecting the idea of blood atonement.

As soon as Orville is released from jail, he returns to his father's compound and plots to attack Zenas in retaliation. Garret tries to warn Zenas, but it's too late. Armed men back each man and they open fire. Garret gets them to agree to a cease fire, but a third-party shoots Zenas (not one of the followers) and the shooting begins again. Zenas and Orville both are killed.

Garret realizes what is happening -- The Colorado Water Company is behind everything. The company has hired an assassin (John Solari) and a junior partner (Gene Davis) to murder Orville's family, counting on the feud between the brothers to eliminate the rest.

Garret is approached by the junior assassin to make a deal, but the senior assassin kills his partner. It turns out the person who hired the assassin is Foxx, the businessman trying to get the police chief elected mayor.

The assassin shows up at a fundraising party for Doyle thrown by Foxx, where he attempts to kill Garret. The reporter gains the upper hand and gets the assassin to reveal that it was Foxx who was responsible for all of the murders. Foxx steals the chief's gun and kills himself.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Death Wish 4: The Crackdown — Theatrical release poster Directed by J. Lee Thompson Produced by …   Wikipedia

  • Death and the King's Horseman — Written by Wole Soyinka Characters Elesin Olunde Iyaloja Simon Pilkings Jane Pilkings Amusa Date premiered March 1, 1975 (1975 03 01) …   Wikipedia

  • Death's Marathon — Directed by D. W. Griffith Written by William E. Wing Starring Blanche Sweet Henry B. Walthall Lionel Barrymore …   Wikipedia

  • Death (personification) — Grim Reaper redirects here. For other uses, see Grim Reaper (disambiguation). A Western depiction of Death as a skeleton carrying a scythe. The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In …   Wikipedia

  • Messenger Newspapers — A copy of the Messenger. Messenger Newspapers is the publisher of 11 free suburban weekly newspapers together covering the Adelaide metropolitan area. Established by Roger Baynes in Port Adelaide in 1951, Messenger has since acquired other… …   Wikipedia

  • Messenger (novel) — For other uses, see The Messenger (disambiguation). Messenger the book   Author(s) Lois Lowry …   Wikipedia

  • Death of Michael Jackson — For the 2011 trial of Jackson s physician, see Trial of Conrad Murray. Death of Michael Jackson Jackson s star on the …   Wikipedia

  • Death by burning — Part of a series on Capital punishment Issues Debate · …   Wikipedia

  • angel of death — messenger of death, the Grim Reaper, angel appointed to take the souls of people; cruel person …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Dally Messenger — Not to be confused with the Australian author, Dally Raymond Messenger[1] Dally Messenger Full name Herbert Henry Messenger …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”