Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass last teamed up to make “The Bourne Ultimatum” in 2007, and while the marketing for “Green Zone” played this up, audiences should know that they are not in for another Jason Bourne story. Similarly, those who enjoyed the essentially politics free, “Hurt Locker,” will be disappointed, as “Green Zone,” like other Iraq war films before it, is going to hit you hard with the politics that surround the war. “Green Zone” was inspired by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s novel “Life in the Imperial City,” but it is important to note that the film is not a direct adaptation.
“Green Zone” follows Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon), and his team, through Iraq as they search sites for the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). After several searches, fail to find WMDs, Miller becomes upset and at a debriefing he questions the intelligence producing the sites. He is ordered by his superiors to continue searching his sites and that intelligence is not at fault. Following the debriefing, Miller encounters the senior middle east CIA specialist, Martin Brown (Brendan Gleeson), who agrees with Miller that the intelligence is poor and informs him that his next site was already searched by the United Nations and resulted in WMDs not being found.
Miller’s team goes on their search as planned but they encounter an Iraqi, Freddie (Khalid Abdalla), who claims to have found a secret meeting. Miller splits his team to investigate this lead and discovers General Mohammed Al-Rawi. Brown, and Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear), senior administration official in Iraq, vie for Miller to join their respective teams. The action and political intrigue increase as Miller must decide which team to side with and how he can bring in General Al-Rawi. “Green Zone” makes no attempt at hiding political undertones. While the film is based upon real events, the characters have been fictionalized and are not meant to represent real people, although there is a strong resemblance. Character development is almost non-existent over the course of the film, but those interested in seeing the film will likely be drawn to the plot rather than the characters that fill it up. Matt Damon, Amy Ryan and Brendan Gleeson turn in expected performances, but it was Greg Kinnear who stood out with his portrayal of the underhanded Clark Poundstone. While “Green Zone” was not another Bourne flick, fans will find the aesthetics of the film similar. Greengrass makes use of a good mix of shots, as well as fast cutting to create tension and discomfort.
As the film progresses, viewers may find themselves searching through their memory banks for news reels in order to remember what real events happened. This will not stop you from making a connection with Miller and rooting him on. “Green Zone” makes no apologies for the war in Iraq but it definitely shows that people can support the soldiers and disagree with the war at the same time.