I'm guessing this movie is purely fiction and not based on any facts. It's just the conspiracy theory a lot of people believe concerning W's administration. It's the lefty's version of the war.
I thought the movie was pretty good and entertaining. I had never heard of it before watching it on cable. Matt Damon plays Miller, head of a military unit. He is questioning the fact that they are sent on missions to find WMD, yet always come up empty. He thinks they are getting bad intel and enlists the help of reporters. From talking to an Iraqi prisoner he helped capture, he finds out whom Magellen is. Magellen is the code name for the Iraqi source for WMD. What he finds leads to even bigger government conspiracies. So he is trying to prove what he knows before the big government guys, like Greg Kinnear, can cover it up and silence people.
I thought the last part with the chase through the city was filmed well. It made sense, was suspenseful, and I think it had the right ending. You know most of the locals did not like the Iraqi military.
FINAL VERDICT: a movie worth checking out.
Green Zone
2010
Action / Drama / History / Thriller / War
Green Zone
2010
Action / Drama / History / Thriller / War
Plot summary
Following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his men are charged with finding the so-called weapons of mass destruction, whose existence justified American involvement, according to the Pentagon and their man in Baghdad, Poundstone. Veteran CIA operative Marty tells Miller that there are no weapons, it is a deception to allow the Americans to take over the country and install a puppet leader. Also suspicious of Poundstone is Wall Street Journal reporter Lawrie Dayne, who lets slip to Miller that Poundstone told her he had secret talks in Jordan with an important Iraqi, code-named Magellan, who told him about the weapons, though it now seems likely Magellan's true information was to the contrary. So begins a hunt for the truth. Who's playing whom?
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Hollywood's version of the Iraq war
Bourne in Iraq plus some conspiracy. Entertaining, but purely fictional.
Green Zone is a movie about a soldier, leader of the team hunting for WMDs in Iraq, tries to step over the official army bullshit line and the red tape and actually achieve something. He gets a lucky break in finding a lead on general Al Rawi (the Jack of clubs in the famous Iraqi card deck) and stumbles upon a secret that explain not only why there are no WMDs, but also why (or better said how) the Americans came to enter the war.
As a movie it is a neat action film. A slightly less physical Bourne in Iraq, but with a political edge. It features shootings, helicopters, drama, conspiracies, evil suits, mislead Americans (represented, of course, by a journalist) lots of people speaking Arabic for no good reason other than they are Iraqi and lots of cramped alleyways.
There was a controversy about how the movie seems to reflect upon a real story. The real-life Roy Miller (actually Richard Gonzales, but shh, Miller sounds better),who also worked as a consultant for the movie, has issued a statement in which he clearly states the plot is a fantasy. I like how he ends the statement: "The real story of the hunt for WMD is, in fact, more interesting. Maybe one day, someone will want to tell that story.". A bit sad and a bit hopeful. Maybe History Channel will pick up on it in a few decades, when the heat is off ;)
Bottom line: well done action thriller, better than most, but then I like Matt Damon as an actor, so maybe I am biased. Certainly above average.
A different kind of film for Damon and Greengrass, but it works
Having absolutely adored the previous two collaborations between star Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass, I was more than pumped to get hold of this follow-up, a war-based thriller set during the days when the west still believed that weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq. This turns out to be a solid, thought-provoking film; it can't hold a candle to BOURNE, but then it doesn't want to – it's a different beast entirely!
Instead, it tackles the complicated situation of American intelligence in Iraq, throwing in seemingly disparate elements like a crippled Iraqi patriot, one of Saddam's top generals, a shady high-level operative and a gruff CIA boss. Once the plot strands come together the film explodes into life, with the last section a pulse-pounding journey through the narrow streets of Iraq with bullets and explosions going off all over the place.
Greengrass is in his element with this kind of movie. His direction is sound as ever, with particularly well handled action bits and interesting exposition, too. Damon seems an odd choice at first for the soldiery central role but he turns out to be a god send in the part – very human, very flawed, but a man whose stubborn nature will see him through. There's a trio of meaty supporting roles for the likes of character actors Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, and Greg Kinnear and some very decent turns from the Arab actors as well.
As for the plot
watching feels a little weird, as in retrospect every viewer will know that there were never any WMDs, so Damon's surprise on discovering this is a little muted. Still, I found the handling of the characters to be particularly moving, especially Freddy and also the general, guys who genuinely love their country and will do anything to see peace restored. Who'd think you'd end up moved by a war-based thriller set during the invasion of Iraq?