Plot summary: 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 Iraq. Rocketing from one 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.
Don't let some critics fool you, Green Zone is one of the MOST American films you'll see. I'm glad I live in a country where we can question our government without being punished or killed. In fact, we don't use that particular freedom quite enough.
Green Zone walks a tricky line. It attempts to veil a fictional action movie over a very touchy event. That event is the invasion of Iraq and specifically the reason for invasion. We were told there were WMD's in Iraq. I personally feel we were told this in a way that struck fear in our country. When we invaded there were none to be found. Now, feel free to argue that point, but it's a fact. Were there other weapons there that cause destruction of some kind? I'm sure there were. That's to be expected. Citizen's of America, however, were led to believe there were weapons there that could cause destruction on the scale of nuclear or biochemical. Those weren't found. Now, from here on out, one has to be careful. There is nothing more being asserted. There is no argument that Saddam Hussein isn't evil, no argument that Iraq never had WMD's or possibly moved them before the invasion, no argument against the horrible things that were going on in Iraq. All we ask as citizens of this great country is that when our government goes to war and puts our youth in danger, they better tell the truth about why they're doing it. Politically speaking, that is what Green Zone is trying to say. It portrays the anger many people feel about being misled. If you think that is anti-american then I have to question your definition of American. To blindly follow your country is one of the most anti-american things I can think of. The film makes other comments on missteps during the invasion, such as dismissing the Iraqi army and leaving them unemployed and agitated, and I can go on to talk about them but I'm here to critique a film.
If you liked any of Paul Greengrass' previous films, especially the Bourne sequels, I see no reason why you wouldn't thoroughly enjoy Green Zone. It is taut, exciting and kept me engaged and guessing all the way until the end. Greengrass employs the same shaky hand-held camera work that he always has and in a film set amongst the confusion of war it has never been more effective.
One of my favorite aspects of Green Zone is the subplot of Freddy. Freddy is an Iraqi citizen who approaches Miller and his unit (while they are at another site containing no WMD's) with information about a meeting occurring of suspected high priority targets. After the invasion of the meeting, and the discovery that Hussein's top ranking general was there, the film's spider web cover-up plot takes off as Miller slowly peels back the layers of what's really going on. What is so interesting about Freddy is that he personifies the complications of the occupation. He also has one of the most powerful lines of the film. Miller continually states how he is there to do his job; find WMD's and save lives, but Freddy is there to remind him (and us) that it is a little more complicated than that.
The story line of Green Zone has many ins and outs. In other hands the film could have become confusing and irritating but the story is told with great ease by director Paul Greengrass and writer Brian Helgeland. One way to do this, which has been portrayed as a negative by many critics, is one dimensional characters and simple yet powerful dialogue. That way, there is less to get in the way. Let me be clear though, the characters are in no way dull, boring or poorly written. I think a better way to describe them, and the film as a whole, is focused.
I think in order to enjoy this film, you really have to go into it with an open mind. I say that to both sides of the argument. If you completely disagree with my second paragraph above, you could still enjoy the film as it is a thriller, not a documentary. Even if you agree with the assertions of the film, you also have to realize that it is a work of fiction and not something to use to further your contentions. Bottom line: Green Zone is a very effective thriller that was a blast to watch.
