Walking out of a screening of Green Zone I cannot help but feel at a loss. The film is breathe taking and really makes you sit back and think. True this is a film, true it has roots that may hit home on many different levels, and yet on top of being something that is clearly making a statement, one must remember that the film is made for entertainment. We have already had a good number of films made about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars from various points of view. Stop-Loss is about the men and women who are serving longer tours than they originally signed up for by an involuntary extension. Home of the Brave revolved around a group of men and women who have returned and their struggle to readjust to being back home. Hurt Locker is about the unbelievable soldiers who are part of the army bomb squad called the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. Taking Chance is about a soldier's experience across the country as he escorts the remains of Pfc. Chance Philips back to his home town. And there are others that give us a quick look into certain aspects of how the past 9 years have affected so many of the brave men and women who serve our country. On so many levels this is the hardest review to write and yet I must remind myself, like I did as I was watching the film, that Green Zone is just a movie.
Green Zone is one of those films that I knew would be unbelievable, but due to the content I did not expect it to be made quite yet. The events covered in the film occur in 2003 and can very easily be googled if you do not already know the facts about the US military's mad hunt for supposed weapons of mass destruction. I will be honest with you, I am not very educated regarding what really happened-- and why! And I did not follow the news like many people may have, but I remember bits and pieces of information from 2003 and yet I did not realize or expect the extreme measures that this film insinuates. It is hard to believe to what extent some people will take things, and there are some extremes that should never be taken. Director Paul Greengrass takes us on a thrill that easily rivals the action packed Bourne films. The cinematography was gritty which adds to the suspense level as we go on the journey with Chief Warrant Officer Miller (Matt Damon). The acting is amazing and never leaves you questioning the believability of the situation. And as much as I dislike Greg Kinnear in many of his roles, my dislike for him as Clark Poundstone Pentagon Special Intelligence is no less.
I know we have been in search for the truth, but if this is anywhere near the truth, I cannot believe anyone would dare go to such extreme measures. Green Zone is a film inspired by Rajiv Chandrasekaran's book ‘Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone’ which hit book shelves in 2006 and won the 2007 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. No matter what side you stand on this film is a film that will not only entertain, but also make you think. Take the events purly as a given, and follow along as a soldier turned rogue to find out the truth. I highly recommend this film and feel that everyone should see. I give Green Zone a 4.5 out of 5.
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