11th
Green Zone: Forget it, Roy. It’s Bagdad.
Tonight I went to see the new movie Green Zone, which is basically a Ramond Chandler private dick kind of story with more explosions. The film stars Matt Damon, and all in all, it is pretty entertaining, though there were a few things about it that really killed my suspension of disbelief. When a film deals with any kind of politically charged, quasi reality, any little thing that feels phony or cheesy can really pull me out of it.
First of all, the term, “WMD” was used about a million times throughout the film. Moreover, almost every time it was used, it was overemphasized and felt unnatural, like a fifth grader trying to sound cool by using the word, “fuck.” I suggest you bring a flask with you to the theater and play a little drinking game. Take a swig every time someone in the movie says, “WMD.” Just make sure that you aren’t driving.
Second of all, it really is crafted like a classic private detective mystery story. Matt Damon’s character, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, is pushed around and beaten, but not broken. People keep popping out of the woodwork, telling him to call them, or beating him up and threatening him, telling him to give up his investigation. And, of course, in the end the original mystery turns out to simply be a blanket covering the real mystery which is resolved with the same clarity and dissatisfaction as China Town.
Green Zone is entertaining. Matt Damon is a great actor, and his acting is great in this film, but don’t expect to walk out a changed person. Even if there is truth to the story, it comes across as truthiness, and it lacks relevance. We are still in this war, but the time for this movie to have come out was three or four years ago. I would have rather seen a Bourne prequel.
