Green Zone

I'm not sure if director Paul Greengrass' GREEN ZONE will play as effectively now as it did when it was originally released in 2010. Though, I'm not so sure how topical it was then. Greengrass stated that he originally supported Prime Minister Blair's decision to join the coalition to invade Iraq in 2003, but then had increasing doubts as he did some research. The search for weapons of mass destruction became a real blind spot, a real dent in credibility for the G.W. Bush administration and the military, who, as this movie illustrates more than once, were just following orders. The link between the horrific events of Sept. 11 and al-Qaeda was never cemented. We watched the news.

The challenge for any fictional recount of such event is to be at least as interesting as that of real life. The late film critic Gene Siskel stated that a movie should be as interesting as a documentary of the same actors having lunch together. How about those actors discoursing on the Iraq war? But then again, a MY DINNER WITH ANDRE take on this subject wouldn't have the benefit of skillful action set pieces.

GREEN ZONE is an entry in the genre I like to call "Don't Stop the Presses", films that like to spring big, important revelations that in fact are not so revelatory. In the case of this film, unless a viewer had avoided any media in the previous 7 years, none of the discoveries should be surprising. Disquieting and validating, yes.

If you've lived long enough, you should not be surprised by alleged government chicanery and clandestinery. In the futile search for WNDs, the old "CYA" was also in play. GREEN ZONE treats the subject as if it is the first to educate us on how wrongheaded it was to invade Iraq. Viewers who tune in to Fox News with any reverence and credibility will continue to argue this. In fact, the channel and even some film critics derided this film for being Un-American. I wonder what the response from those parties would've been to the inflammatory Vietnam doc HEARTS AND MINDS, but we'll save that speculation for a forthcoming review.

Matt Damon, a veteran of the BOURNE series (a few directed by Greengrass), plays Roy Miller, a United States Army Chief Warrant Officer who repeatedly discovers empty sites when he and his team sweep for WMDs. He begins to question the intelligence which drove these missions, much to the chagrin and embrarrassment of the higher-ups. The story will develop somewhat like a cop/detective drama, with an informant Iraqi who leads Miller to secret high level Ba'ath Party meetings and a CIA (Brendan Gleeson, sounding again like an Irish Gene Hackman) agent who is aware of the futility of the weapons missions and knows quite a bit about one General Mohammed Al-Rawi (Yigal Naor) and his role in what may lead to insurgency or alliance with the Americans.

There is also a Washington minion named Poundstone (Greg Kinnear) who expertly dodges questions from both Miller and a Wall Street Journal reporter (Amy Ryan) about a source known as "Magellan", and Ahmed Zubaidi (Raad Rawi), an Iraqi politician who may well be being groomed for higher office after the U.S. takes Baghdad in their quest to promote democracy. Miller will gradually learn what is really happening, though despite his maverick actions manages to escape disciplinary action from the military.

GREEN ZONE is interested in telling its story breathlessly, with several action scenes and chases to propel the pace. A lengthy sequence near the end is as frantic as any moment of the BOURNE films, though impressively Greengrass manages to orchestrate near chaos without confusing the viewer. When Miller finally connects the dots, the film offers an effective climax that can serve as either the film's main thesis or a dark punchline, depending on your take. It is an effective moment.

But, the drama of this film is not as strong as it would like to be, mainly due to the familiarity of the material. That's not to say that a screenplay has to be entirely novel to be dramatically effective, but GREEN ZONE has a healthy dose of piety that gives the impression that it is a grand whistle blower of cinema. It is not. This movie does not work in the same way as SILKWOOD or THE CHINA SYNDROME, which were strong indictments on current events (though I'm sure many conservatives who've seen those movies will cry "liberal agenda" or the like). GREEN ZONE is a fairly well made entertainment that has a conscience. An action film that poses hard questions, but far from the definitive treatment of a very unfortunate Presidental/military legacy. But be sure to watch that final shot carefully.