Green Zone Movie Review

MOVIE REVIEW: GREEN ZONE

3/11/10

SYNOPSIS: Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93) re-team for their latest electrifying thriller in Green Zone, a film set in the chaotic early days of the Iraqi War when no one could be trusted and every decision could detonate unforeseen consequences.

During the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Damon) and his team of Army inspectors were dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up that inverts the purpose of their mission.

Spun by operatives with intersecting agendas, Miller must hunt through covert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soil for answers that will either clear a rogue regime or escalate a war in an unstable region. And at this blistering time and in this combustible place, he will find the most elusive weapon of all is the truth

REVIEW: I know what you might be thinking. Here goes Director Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon teaming up again to do what is really just another Bourne movie with a different title. I was thinking the same thing and was expecting the same thing. Boy was I surprised and impressed. This movie has all the quality of a Bourne movie but with an incredibly realistic story and production. The action is fantastic and non-stop. This film is eye-opening, intense, and will put you on the edge of your seat while you hold your breath throughout. A lot of it looks like actual combat footage. Oh yeah, so as you can imagine this film is full of the hand held camera perspective. So if you are sensitive to that heavy camera motion or “dizzy“ camera as I like to call it, be aware. For some odd reason, the “dizzy” camera doesn’t affect me as much so I really enjoy it. It makes everything look that much more real and gives you the sensation of being there in the thick of the action. The movie has some controversy to it as well and the fact that it makes a political statement is an understatement. Matt Damon plays Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller who is charged to locate weapon’s of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq as the war commenced. We all know the controversy surrounding that subject. Well he and his team searched and did not find, thus the plot thickens. Mr. Greengrass has really outdone himself with this project and it could easily be considered his best work. If nothing else, credit must be given for his gutsy decision to direct this film. Same goes for Mr. Damon. I would say that if this isn’t his best performance, it is next to best. The rest of the cast really fit in nicely and performed well for the context but the true driving force and overall star of this show is the story and the action. The action sequences in this movie are mesmerizing and very real. This is like a mix of a Bourne movie with The Kingdom.

What makes this story so interesting is the reality of it, the timeliness of it, and the controversy surrounding it. It is a very current matter and the moviemakers really tackle this head on, no beating around the bush (no pun intended). The dialogue is quick and appropriate but not so complex that it loses you. But as I mentioned before, the highlight of this film is the action and the cinematography is a key ingredient. Throughout the entire film the camera puts you in the heat of the battle. The filming locations were perfect too. All in all, if you like the Bourne movies, The Kingdom, Black Hawk Down, or the like, you’ve got to see this one because you will enjoy it and you will be as surprised with it as I was.