Review of Green Zone (2010) by Gary M — 09 Jan 2012

For anyone who loves to question the actions of the U.S. Government, or simply believes the truth is never fully told, then Green Zone is definitely a film to watch. Director Paul Greengrass reunites with Oscar winner Matt Damon (The Informant!) to create a film that shines a bright light on the war in Iraq and the tireless search for weapons of mass destruction. One thing needs to be made clear â?? the film doesnâ??t intend to point fingers or assess blame, but it certainly would lead one to raise eyebrows about how things were handled upon the United Statesâ?? invasion of Iraq.

Obviously, the Iraq War resulted in many of our troops being sent out to defend the freedoms of our beloved country. The question was raised then and still stands out brightly now: â??Why?â?? The widespread belief is that Iraq housed weapons of mass destruction, thus presenting a clear threat to not just the United States but to any nation on the planet. Enter CWO Roy Miller (Damon), seen leading his team into a dangerous site in search of WMDs. An incredible, but very believable firefight takes place, and casualties are obvious. Miller and his team prevail only to find â?? nothing, no WMDs.

This is probably a simple mistake but itâ??s revealed that Miller and his team have come up empty on more than one occasion. Miller, not one to allow more casualties, asks about the validity of the intelligence. Of course, that questioning is met with the obligatory, â??just follow orders,â?? routine from his superiors. Millerâ??s questioning, though, catches the attention of CIA operative Martin Brown (two-time Golden Globe nominee Brendan Gleeson, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). Heâ??s an expert in Middle East relations and confides in Miller that somethingâ??s amiss. Miller also comes in contact with Lawrie Dayne (Oscar nominee Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone), a journalist whoâ??s also trying to uncover the truth about WMDs. Miller is soon caught in the middle of a tug-of-war pitting Brown against Pentagon Intelligence officer Clark Poundstone (Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear), and itâ??s up to Miller to uncover the truth.

Paul Greengrass has shown a tendency to cut right to the core of a story and present it with an honesty that can never be taken lightly. At the same time heâ??s able to showcase high drama and inevitable thrills that keeps his film from becoming too preachy. His United 93, the film that recreated the events of the hijacked 9/11 flight, is a perfect example of his unflinching truthfulness without pointing fingers. In Green Zone, with a script written by Oscar winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland (1996â??s L.A. Confidential), a conspiracy looms that depicts the United States as the bad guy. Lives are at stake as Poundstone, easily seen as the catalyst behind these wrongdoings, makes decisions on behalf of the U.S. governmentâ??s wants and needs, not based on evident rights or wrongs. Because of the concise script the story is easy to follow, in spite the filmâ??s fast pace and the daunting notion that there are a huge web of lies that would rival a soap opera.

Because there are so few major players itâ??s easy to identify with them and thus easier to fall in line with the story. Green Zone is well-acted, well-told, and outside of some shaky camera work, is also well-shot. This is more of a thriller than an action film, and that should be applauded because considering both Greengrass & Damonâ??s involvement it wouldâ??ve been easy to cite this as another Bourne film. The action scenes are necessary to the film and realistic to boot. The conclusion is tough to swallow but seems plausible considering our troops still remain in Iraq.

If youâ??re looking for a thriller that will fill your appetite for entertainment while at the same time provides plausible thought as to our situation in the Middle East, then by all means go out and see Green Zone.