182: Green Zone

Green Zone (R) - 2010 - Runtime: 115 minutes
Starring: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan
Director: Paul GreengraSS

I had been really excited to see this movie when I first heard about it. I really have enjoyed Greengrass's work. I think the last two Bourne movies are just fun action flicks that keep you on the edge of your seat. But I'm glad this isn't just "Bourne in Iraq" because that's what the trailer was pushing. In fact, it's more of a drama than an action movie and it's a good movie that focuses on the beginning of the war in Iraq.

Matt Damon plays Officer Miller, a man charged with finding WMDs in Iraq, but keeps coming up empty handed in his search. Instead of following orders, he decides to figure out on his own, with a little help from the locals, what the hell is going on. What he finds is, of course, a massive conspiracy. I remember a customer coming up to me and asking me if the movie was any good and I said, yeah.

The customer starts to raise his voice, "Well, it's not about that Democrat bullshit that the war was bad, right? I mean, what's with movie makers and their desire to take down Republicans any chance they get? They're so full of it!" That, at least, was the gist of it.

I replied, "Well, the movie does take the viewpoint of the truth that there was no WMDs in Iraq and that the President and his staff all lied about the war." I was so mad I could have said much, much more but sometimes these people are just looking for an argument and are too stubborn to see another point of view. And what's with painting the Republicans as victims in this whole scenario? I was baffled. I don't think anyone in their right mind would say the Republicans are victims of anything. Same goes for the democrats, too. It's just idiotic to think that.

Any who, aside from the rant, I really found this movie to be quite good. It's worth a rental, if you can swallow the massive conspiracy involving the imaginary WMDs. Matt Damon is awesome because he's playing a man on a mission and damn anyone who gets in the way. The movie reminded me a lot of Body of Lies, another decent war movie, but Green Zone is much more simple and straightforward. There aren't that many twists in the plot and it has a very linear structure. The action, when it happens, is fast and satisfying and at the end, the movie gives you a good sense of the frustration and futility involved in the war.

Rating: Rent It!