Dvd
Green Zone
A thriller from the director of The Bourne Ultimatum, set during the US-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, about a bunch of CIA agents and a warrant officer (Matt Damon) on the trail of certain weapons of mass destruction. A foreign correspondent (The Wire's Amy Ryan) follows their mission.
The film is based on the 2006 book Imperial Life in the Emerald City by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran and takes place in the 'Green Zone' – a 10-square-kilometer area in central Baghdad that is the centre of international forces in the city.
Starring Matt Damon, Jason Isaacs, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan
Directed by Paul Greengrass ('The Bourne Ultimatum', 'United 93', 'The Bourne Supremacy', 'Bloody Sunday')
Written by Brian Helgeland (based on the book by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
War, Thriller | 1hr 54mins | Rated (M) | Contains Violence & Offensive Language | Origin: France, USA, Spain, UK
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The Talk
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Flicks review
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3
Do we like ‘message films’? I’m not such a fan but some might appreciate the seven-year-old sentiment expressed in Green Zone about the double standards and campaign of confusion set by American authorities in Iraq.
Paul Greengrass helms and his shaky-cam style used for his two Bourne movies makes another jiggly appearance. His direction is terrific. Seemingly unrehearsed as if the chaos is unfolding in front us, the action feels fresh, impromptu and effortless, as if the camera has just captured it accidentally. All the beats of the action are there and it’s easy to follow.
But despite best intentions, the frenetic visuals don’t quite mask the preachy tone of this project. It’s old news to any of us with even a passing interest in world events. The hunt for non-existent WMDs was big in 2003, but can it still hold a wow factor seven years later?
Plus, Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne was far more fun than his Sgt Miller. This military man is about as good-guy as you can get – a white, moralistic American with an unflappable desire to do the right thing.
This is a slick and polished action thriller. Damon and Greengrass push their agenda, no bad thing considering it will reach a big audience, but their revelations about the sneaky Yanks are not that surprising at all.
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The people's reviews
10 reviews
Press Reviews
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Chicago Sun-Times
It is a thriller, not a documentary. It's my belief that the nature of the neocon evildoing has by now become pretty clear. Others will disagree. The bottom line is: This is one hell of a thriller.
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Empire (UK)
Bourne goes epic. A wham-bam actioner, but its pointed political subtext ensures Damon and Greengrass deliver their most provocative mission yet.
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Hollywood Reporter (USA)
Christopher Rouse's rapid-fire editing nervously stitches the stunts, chases, fights and confrontations together. It's a remarkable film.
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Los Angeles Times
Made with daring and passion, it attempts the impossible and comes remarkably close to pulling it off. So close, in fact, that the skill and audacity used, the shock and awe of this highly entertaining attempt, are more significant than the imperfect results.
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New York Times
When Mr. Greengrass made “United 93,” his 2006 reconstruction of one of the Sept. 11 hijackings, some people fretted that it was too soon. My own response to Green Zone is almost exactly the opposite: it’s about time.
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The Dominion Post (Graeme Tuckett)
Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass have been having all sorts of fun by subverting the pugnacious brand of "all-American boy" that Damon first made his name with, and reinventing the angsty moppet as something of a stalking horse for the liberal Left.
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tvnz.co.nz (Darren Bevan)
The team behind the successful run of Bourne movies have reunited for this thriller set in Iraq after the 2003 war.
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Variety (USA)
Once Damon's one-man truth squad goes off the reservation and starts behaving too much like Jason Bourne for comfort, the film begins not only spilling more blood but also leaking crucial credibility.
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