Green Zone: An Overview

Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon team up again (after previous successes with The Bourne films) for military thriller Green Zone.

All the action takes place during the Iraq conflict, but it’s based around the early days of the war as coalition forces first invaded the country.
The story is based around Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) and the team of army inspectors led by him. Miller and his team are tasked with finding WMD’s (Weapons of Mass Destruction) that are thought to be stockpiled and hidden somewhere in the Iraqi desert.
Miller and his team move from one extremely dangerous site to another, searching for chemical agents and signs of WMD production; as you’d expect, they are unsuccesful.

Eventually Miller and his team stumble across an elaborate cover-up infiltrated by coalition forces that will change the course and purpose of their mission in Iraq. I won’t spoil the film by going into detail on this, but it’s a well thought out plot turn that keeps the remainder of the film taught and tense.
The rest of the film concentrates on Miller’s search for the truth, which threatens to uncover dangerous secrets and possibly escalate a war in an extremely volatile region.

As you would perhaps expect from the combination of Damon and Greengrass, the pace of the film is constantly high and action packed, although the shots can be a little choppy at times. Damon is extremely believable as Roy Miller and plays the part brilliantly. It’s refreshing to see a US war film that is willing to confront such potentially explosive content matter, particularly without glorifying American involvement (similar to Jarhead in this respect).

The film also does a good job of being true to real life - the way the soldiers talk to one another, their weaponry and kit are all well researched and presented throughout the movie. Check out the Oakley Sunglasses sported by Damon’s character during the film; these are M-frame sunglasses and are genuinely utilised by huge numbers of western military, particularly in areas like Iraq; chosen for the clarity, durability and impact resistance, it’s nice to see such attention to detail in a film like this. Maybe it’s just me but I like to see this level of realism in a film that is covering a current conflict in a realistic and serious manner.

Overall I really enjoyed Green Zone, it’s a quick moving, taught thriller and will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout recommended.