Review of Green Zone (2010) by Chad R — 03 Feb 2011

'Authentic' is a word that comes up a lot when I review Matt Damon movies. I can't help it. The guy just seems to instinctively know how to sing the right notes that make you believe in what he's doing.

In this latest collaboration with his "The Bourne Ultimatum" director, Damon inhabits the body of an Army warrant officer charged with finding WMDs in the aftermath of the fall of Baghdad. Frustration over his lack of success takes him down a dark rabbit hole of conflicting agendas between US government agencies that eventually leads him to some devastating discoveries about the truth behind the Iraq War.

At every turn, Damon impeccably captures the image of an idealistic soldier confronting cynical realities. Like Bruce Willis in Antoine Fuqua's "Tears of the Sun," Damon seems to have studied even the minutest nuances of the modern soldier, from the walk to the talk.

Greengrass's direction is much as you'll find it in the Bourne films, so take your Dramamine if you're susceptible, and it might help to brush up a little on your Gulf War II history or you may find yourself wondering what the hell everyone is talking about.