Friday, March 12, 2010

Box Office Review - Green Zone


I couldn't be more happy to see director Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon do another film. I am also happy that their reunion isn't just a rehash of the Bourne films, as Green Zone's trailer would have you believe. The movie focuses on the search for Weapons of Mass Destruction at the beginning of the Iraq war and follows Damon as a soldier whose task is to find these weapons. Of course anyone with access to a television knows that there weren't any WMDs in Iraq, and that is what Damon's character begins to realize throughout the film. Of course he uncovers some unflattering things about the US government and sets out to try to improve things. I liked this aspect of Damon's character as he is a soldier with true grit. He is willing to fight in the war as long as the war is meant to save lives, not endanger them. "The reasons for war are always important" is a quote from the film that will stay with me for awhile. Damon isn't the only good actor in the film. Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, and Brendand Gleeson fill out the supporting cast and they are all good. I would expect nothing less from actors with such solid bodies of work. I would like to point out Khalid Abdalla's superb performance as Freddie. Abdalla was in United 93 and more notably was in The Kite Runner. Abdalla brought a very complex character to the screen in Green Zone, and deserves praise for it. Director Greengrass also deserves some praise for recasting him after having worked together in United 93. Greengrass brings to life the city of Baghdad in the movie and he did some impressive things with the visuals. It should be noted that his standard close-up visuals are here with force, but he also does some impressive long shots throughout the movie. I loved the opening shot of the bombs going off around Baghdad. My initial reaction to the film is that it was well made, but nothing in it brought anything new to the genre. On the drive home I was thinking about the overall message of the film and it changed my opinion of what I had just seen. Green Zone is a anti war movie that isn't opposed to war. I know it is a weird thing to say, but in my opinion it is true. The movie is about finding the real reasons for war and deciding if they are truly worth fighting for. That might sound heavy,but don't worry Green Zone can be appreciated as a straight up action movie as much as a thoughtful film about the reasons for war.

A Gold Banana

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