Review: Green Zone DVD

Alright, so we know what you’re thinking: Another cookie-cutter Iraq war movie. Explosions, guns, tension, half-baked and loosely interwoven love story, helicopters crashing, Matt Damon. But, hold the phone! We are quite happy (and pleasantly surprised!) to report that director Paul Greengrass’ latest offering, Green Zone, (inspired by Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s novel Imperial Life in the Emerald City) only has but half of these thriller-action clichés. And, much more substance beneath its Hollywood veneer.

Set in 2003 shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Damon plays the role of chief warrant officer Roy Miller, a rogue military man trying to get to the bottom of the question on the forefront of everyone’s mind at the time: Where are these weapons of mass destruction? This film is the first of its kind to finally address the elephant in the room, and brings the motivation for the US invasion of Iraq under scrutiny.

The film is well-executed – you’re never really sure who you’re rooting for, and who qualifies as a good guy or a bad guy. The ambiguity of right or wrong sheds an interesting light on the political climate of the times, and the film highlights some of the lesser-known scenes that allegedly took place in the immediate aftermath of the US occupation of the country. There are startling images of the destruction that the “shock and awe” campaign left in its wake, and haunting images of a once opulent Iraq now left in shambles. One particularly captivating scene shows us a mid-afternoon soiree held on the outer courtyard of the Green Zone (once Saddam’s palace) replete with journalists and military higher-ups soaking up the sunshine, drinking beer, and listing to gangster rap. All the while, chaos reigns only a few short miles outside the zone.

Greengrass’ style is gritty, raw, and brings you into the action. Much of the film is shot in a shaky hand-held style, and, while captivating and drawing you into the ground-level action, may induce a bit of motion sickness. The score is moving and the cinematography plays beautifully with the sparse and desolate desert climate, juxtaposed with the former splendor of Iraq’s regal and arresting architecture. The characters are all believable; Damon delivers a standard action performance without much revelation in what really makes Miller tick, though the real stand out in the film is Khalid Abdalla (The Kiterunner) whose moving portrayal of an average Iraqi man who gets tangled up in the wrong circles will capture your full attention. His character’s sincerity adds a depth to the film that would otherwise have left it feeling devoid of a level of understanding for the plight of the Iraqi people during such a turbulent time. We also praise Allah that there was no clichéd love story that developed between the attractive blonde journalist, Lawrie Dayne (played by Amy Ryan) and any of our leading lads. Hollywood – take note! A story does not always need to yield romantic tension to be captivating!

Overall, this wasn’t your typical war-movie. We enjoyed the action and gritty scenes with helicopters spirallng into flaming fireballs and copious gunfire, yes, but there was a lot more to this flick than that. Definitely worth a watch, and will leave you simultaneously scratching your head in wonder and shame, asking, indeed, How Did We Get It So Wrong?

CONTEST

We have five prize packs available to our lucky readers. Each pack consists of a Green Zone DVD and a pass for CQB Paintball. All you have to do to enter is email an original photo (which you take) to greenzone@ohmpage.ca of something green.  Easy, right? One entry per person but you can get a bonus second entry by becoming a fan of the Green Zone DVD Canadian release on Facebook. If you want that second entry,  you’ll also have that ‘something green’ photo uploaded to your Facebook so we know it’s you and sending us a link to it in your original entry email so that we can verify its you and keep things fair. It’s a little complicated but hey, it’s doubling your odds, and CQB Paintball is well worth it. Good luck!