Matt Damon shines in ‘Green Zone’
“Green Zone” is what you get when you place a character like Jason Bourne in the middle of “The Hurt Locker.” It may sound like a tough gamble to combine unlikely characters with realistic scenarios, but director Paul Greengrass has shown before that he knows how to properly orchestrate these sorts of equations, and “Green Zone” is no exception. Like other political thrillers, the plot trudges through a lot of familiar territory with Greengrass’ shaky camera work, but with Matt Damon guiding it along the way, it still manages to keep breathing fresh air at every turn.
Set in 2003 at the dawn of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, “Green Zone” chronicles a team of military investigators who are sent into the desert to find weapons of mass destruction. They are led by warrant officer Roy Miller (Damon), and when we first meet him, his team is already on the move treading through numerous booby-traps and empty sites. They’re looking for chemical weapons, and as they go from one green zone to the next, Miller becomes increasingly frustrated with intelligence agent Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear) back at the Pentagon. Where did Intel get its information about the hidden WMDs? Why can’t Miller’s team find any of them? And what does the CIA Baghdad bureau chief (Brendan Gleeson) know about Poundstone’s initiative that could overthrow the entire mission?
The mystery of wondering whether or not there are actually any weapons to find could be addressed in another film alone, but as you may have already guessed, this film is not centered on building up to an ominous climax. This is a film about national conspiracies and how far big corporations will go to cover them up; even if it means risking one of their best men.
What drives “Green Zone” on its highest attribute is the performance of Damon. In the same rock-solid form that embodied Jason Bourne, Damon brings a special human element to Miller’s personality that enables us to understand him better than just another protagonist who’s torn between the mission and his own personal morals. Consider for example, a scene in which he befriends an Iraqi civilian named Freddie (Khalid Abdalla) who has been permanently crippled by the ongoing violence. Listen very closely as the two of them share a series of deep discussions about democracy and how messy it can be to replace a whole regime of government officials just because the current one isn’t working. Even if we can predict the inclusion of such conversations, it’s the way these actors deliver the words that adds a unique sense of authenticity to their meaning.
Aside from this, the remaining pieces of “Green Zone” are mostly a routine exercise of the political thriller basics. What makes it purely a Greengrass feature is his use of the hand-held camera technique and how he pits us right into the middle of the action. Obviously the chaos of war needs no assistance in feeling like a reality, but in following Miller through the desert and into the streets of Baghdad, Damon convinces us that this truly is a man with a purpose, and not just some disposable pawn of a character who’s been pointed straight ahead into a conflict.
So in short, “Green Zone” is 2010′s first example of a film garnered to a very particular audience. And while it should easily please the Jason Bourne fan base that enjoys fast-paced entertainment, I’m afraid Greengrass’ hot hands are starting to cool. It was always refreshing to take the next step in the revelations of a governmental machine, but since that book has now been closed, it feels like Greengrass is trying to piece together the scraps of what he left behind. Oh well, I guess one person’s trash can be someone else’s treasure … unless of course the government tells you it’s hidden somewhere in the desert.
Grade: B-
Posted by Chris Moskaly
on Mar 29 2010. Filed under Features, Reviews.
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