Green Zone review

Starring: Matt Damon, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Greg Kinnear
Dir: Paul Greengrass
Duration: 114 Minutes

Paul Greengrass's action/thriller Green Zone is an unapologetic indictment against the US government; Matt Damon's character Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller grows increasingly cynical of the intelligence his troops have been receiving on the location of WMDs. He begins to become concerned that the very reasons why they're at war with Iraq are under completely false pretenses. Throughout the movie, he's unrelenting in his quest to find out the truth, putting his life in the most dangerous of situations in order to get the truth out there and bring certain people to justice. This is a man who volunteered to join the Army and fight in Iraq because he sincerely believed the country contained weapons of mass destruction and subsequently he had the rug pulled out from underneath him.

Green Zone works because of Matt Damon's convincing performance as Chief Officer Roy Miller. And while there are great actors in the supporting roles (such as Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, and Amy Ryan), this is really Matt Damon's show from beginning to end. This may hinder the movie's opportunity to flesh out its supporting characters, but the writers decided to forgo characterization in order to successfully execute its complex plot. Of course, some aspects of the film's complex plot may not be pulled off perfectly, but it does more than enough to make this a very entertaining film. This is a straightforward indictment of the Iraq War and it might anger people from the right side of the political spectrum, but it would not hold as much emotional weight if it didn't have a strong political statement.

Yes, Paul Greengrass does institute his typical shakycam aesthetic that is used in his previous films (Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum), but it actually works in the context of the film. It might be a bit off-putting in the Bourne films, but I feel that it works in Green Zone because Baghdad, Iraq is a city full of chaos and uncertainty. Honestly, while it's very noticeable within the first few minutes of the film, the film's plot is engrossing enough where you don't even notice it after awhile. Anybody who claims that the camerawork here is very nauseating is either over the age of 60 or they're simply overreacting.

For a complex plot, the movie's version of the origins of the Iraq War are pretty simplistic. The problem with making a war film with such a clear political agenda is that when you attempt to create simple explanations to very complex problems, it might come off as a bit disingenuous. But this isn't a film that attempts to know everything, it just presents its own argument of the story. I feel, however, that the movie is just action-packed and thrilling enough for people on both sides of the spectrum to enjoy the movie. I think what makes this film work in particular is that it's in the point of view of a concerned soldier. This is a man who still loves and supports his country; a man who does not want to risk his life and thousands of his fellow soldiers' lives under false pretenses. Green Zone demonstrates that it is possible to condemn the war in Iraq while supporting the troops. Nobody here is putting these troops under fire for their actions in Iraq; it's moreso condemning US intelligence for misleading those troops into going to war.

The strongest aspect for the movie is that it never loses its way. Each scene logically follows the other and Paul Greengrass creates some great tense moments that leads to some compelling action scenes. Like I said before, Matt Damon's performance is the key to this film being as good as it is. It turns what could just be a typical anti-Iraq war film into a convincing anti-Iraq war film with much needed emotional weight. I do not really understand why reactions to this movie are so negative/mixed. The action is solid, the acting is solid, the camerawork is highly effective, the plot is well-executed. Sure, it doesn't tell you anything you don't already know, but I do not think that makes its action scenes any less effective or its main character's concerns any less convincing. Overall, though it has a simplistic plot, Green Zone is a somewhat flawed, yet very entertaining action/thriller.

Rating: 7.5/10