Green Zone

I GUESS THE GRASS REALLY ISN'T GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE. My Rating: ** - Fair



The title of the film seems like it's dedicated to director Paul GREENgrass. I didn't realize that until one of my favorite parts in the film. Which was when it ended and the credits started rolling. Although Matt Damon (the "Bourne" series) is a very good actor, The script seemed to slow him down. The film is supposed to be a thriller and it does have a well-mapped out plot to keep the suspense but for some reason I just wasn't feelin' it. I actually had to refrain from falling asleep. The plot takes place in 2003 Baghdad and a soldier named Roy Miller(Damon) is serving there in his search to uncover the truth about Baghdad's WMD program. But as he quickly sees that the fact that every spot they are told contains these dangerous weapons comes up empty doesn't add up, he is thrown into the middle of a dangerous maze of lies and, well, shooting to help save lives. Sounds interesting right? That's what I thought. But, it's previews don't really practice what they preach. Is it suspenseful? Yes. Is it enough to really affect you? No. If you want a REAL thriller, watch "The Dark Knight" or "Taken". For almost the entire thing, I just felt like I was watching someone play "Call of Duty". Just two hours of shooting, yelling, and "good will hunting". The acting is pretty good however. If you only take a look at Damon's strengths, he's un-fire able(but then again, most actors are). Despite the fact that he has a very small amount of weaknesses anyway. All other actors deliver good performances but the screenplay wasn't good enough for you to get the full effect. What I DID like about it was that it does have a good plot, a good storyline, good acting, and a GREAT ending. Although for most of those had a lot of times that contained one of the things I can't stand that some films do: wasted potential. I feel like this movie had a lot to back it up, but it just wasn't done right a lot of the time. But like I said, the ending makes a good chunk of it worth while. It would be a felony for me to spoil it for you(maybe I should make a list of the best movie endings...). Although it's not enough to make a whole lot of the film worthwhile, it does serve as a reminder that sometimes to do what's right we need to step out of the green zone.

Starring: Matt Damon Director: Paul Greengrass