I have been putting off checking out The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc for years in large part due to the negative reviews the movie has gotten. Yes, even before going into this one, I kind of suspected that there would be a lot of inaccurate facts manipulated for the benefit of telling a more streamlined Hollywood film. I'm not a scholar and don't claim to know everything there is to know about Joan Of Arc. Far from it. I know my basic stuff as I was told when growing up, but beyond that, I couldn't tell you what was fact and what was fiction in the film beyond the most obvious things within the film.

With that said, as a movie-going experience and my love for all things Swords, I found The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc to be more than entertaining. I really liked it from the get go and it only got better. The cinematography is fantastic, proving that Luc Besson does have a good eye as well as a knack for film-making. Right off the bat, most people will criticize Milla Jovovich in the title role based on past film roles. But in my eyes, I found her performance to be pretty damn good and highly underrated. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I thought she did a phenomenal job and based on all the movies I have seen of hers, this is by far her best as an actress. Whether that's actually true or not, to me it is. A solid cast anchored by Milla, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway and Dustin Hoffman make this a must-see film.

But the biggest trip for me was seeing a very young, wet behind the ears Desmond Harrington, who I didn't even know was in this one. It took me a few minutes to even confirm if it was him because he is so young from the guy I know primarily from Dexter. Would I watch this again if I came across it on cable? Absolutely. Definitely worth a Rent. Some great battle scenes as well. Lots of action, a great story and lush photography will keep you engaged from start to finish. The movie is definitely underrated. I will add this to my personal DVD Library for sure.