GREEN ZONE
Bobert Liked It A Lot — ★★★½ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
Director: Paul Greengrass (SAHARA)
Writer: Brian Helgeland (PAYBACK), based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s original book
Starring: Matt Damon (THE INFORMANT!), Amy Ryan (GONE BABY GONE), Greg Kinnear (GHOST TOWN), Brendan Gleeson (IN BRUGES)
Bobert’s Take… The U.S. Military has occupied Baghdad, turned Saddam’s palace into a makeshift luxury resort, and left the nation of Iraq in governmental ruin. Mission Accomplished right? Now its time to find those WMDs! Enter Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, charged with leading the search for the somewhat-coveted Weapons of Mass Destruction. After turning up nada three straight times, Miller begins to question the validity of the intel provided, a suspicion shared by journalist Lawrie Dayne. After breaking the story involving a mysterious  informant named “Magellan”, Dayne insists that she meets him in person to further confirm her story. A request that her secret government source, a Pentagon Special Intelligence agent, claims he doesn’t have the authority to grant. Pfft. But the head of the Baghdad bureau of the CIA also smells something fishy, convinced a cover-up is afoot — Watergate style. When an Iraqi civilian steps forward with information of the whereabouts of a displaced Army General, its a race against time to reach him before the elusive truth is lost forever.  All while negotiating the political minefield that is the — GREEN ZONE!
Bobert’s Blurb… GREEN ZONE works in so many ways where other films of similar ilk have failed. As a tempered indictment of the U.S. government’s declaration of War under false pretenses, as a rousing Action movie that moves with pulse-pounding purpose, and as a thrilling examination of the political maneuvers that happen off the battlefield. Matt Damon’s portrayal of officer Miller is essentially a glorified audition tape for the part of Captain America in Marvel’s upcoming film, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Miller is a proud American solider that only cares about doing the right thing, regardless of the political machinations he’s forced to work under. Sure he’s a little older than one would expect, but if his performance doesn’t scream like a Steve Rogers character synopsis, I don’t know what does. Damon is surrounded by other great actors helping him succeed in selling this complicated and fast-moving plot, with the likes of Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan, Greg Kinear, and Jason Isaacs. The best supporting role however might be from Khalid Abdalla, playing an impassioned Iraqi citizen that finds himself becoming a U.S. military pawn after helping Miller discover the truth. The director of the last two BOURNE films, as well as less action oriented fare like UNITED 93 and BLOODY SUNDAY, once again pulls off what a lot of other so-called Action films lack. Namely, sequences that actually succeed in being visually stimulating while also providing coherent geography and emotional resonance. No small feet indeed. The marriage of fact and fiction is seamless, further cementing Greengrass as not only one of cinema’s top Action Autuers, but also as an exciting filmmaker capable of going to places that lesser directors would fear to tread. Without a doubt, Greengrass’ portrayal of a scheming U.S. Administration that plots assassinations and cover-ups will rub some viewers the wrong way. Based on the non-fiction book IMPERIAL LIFE IN THE EMERALD CITY, The film is by no means a historically accurate representation of what exactly happened in those early days of the Iraqi occupation. But enough facts are utilized in the telling of this tension-filled Political Thriller that many discrepancies can be forgiven in the name of entertainment — and what rousing entertainment this is! A thinking man’s Action film. What a concept!