Review: Green Zone
Known for The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, Paul Greengrass brings more nonstop action to the screen in the historical action drama Green Zone, inspired by the novel "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone" by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. From April 2003 to October 2004, Chandrasekaran was The Washington Post's bureau chief in Baghdad, covering the American occupation of Iraq and supervising a team of correspondents. He lived in Baghdad for much of the six months before the war, reporting on the United Nations weapons-inspections process and the build-up to the conflict.
Director Greengrass joins forces with Hurt Locker cinematographer Barry Ackroyd and re-teams with Bourne lead Matt Damon, who plays Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller. The story begins in the first month of the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, when Miller and his team are dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in various Iraqi locations, but come up emptyhanded. Everything points to the intelligence being flawed, but high officials stand by their source. Instead of searching for chemical agents, Chief Miller begins looking for the truth. Standing in his way is Washington's mouthpiece Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear), who is too intent on advancing his mission to rebuild Iraq as an American-style democracy.
Green Zone also features a Wall Street Journal reporter, Lawrie Dayne (Amy Ryan), whose articles support the administration's claim of stockpiled WMD as reported by a supposedly credible and confidential source known only as "Magellan." CIA agent Martin Brown (Brendan Gleeson) doesn't believe the existence of WMDs even more than Chief Miller. Poundstone calls Brown a "dinosaur," but Brown proves the most reliable support.
The acting in Green Zone is superb from lead Damon to the supporting cast of Gleeson and Kinnear. Most notable is Khalid Abdalla, as Freddy, an Iraqi national who is furious with the destruction the Baath party has wreaked on their home country. He reluctantly serves as an interpreter during Chief Miller's interrogations of former Saddam insiders during a search for the "Jack of Clubs," General Al Rawi, well-portrayed by Yigal Naor.
What starts out as a realistic portrayal of the events surrounding the invasion of Baghdad -- critical infrastructures such as water and electricity destroyed by the Allied forces, the Iraqi officers evacuating to their safe houses -- and the search for weapons of mass destruction changes to a Jason Bourne scenario, as Miller goes rogue. More than once Miller is described as going "off the reservation." The nocturnal and lengthy climax is far too action-genre oriented to appear realistic like the first half of this film. Ackroyd's jittery shooting that continuously pans and zooms for the duration of the film along with ubiquitious jump cuts is a bit overwhelming for viewers. I found myself constantly hoping that the camera would just stop for a moment -- much of the action as well as the intent of the dialogue is lost.
The excellent production design of Green Zone relies on several countries including Spain and Morocco to represent Baghdad and surrounding areas as well as Saddam's grandiose palace. The brief glimpse seen of the contrast between the streets of Baghdad to life inside the Green Zone's "Little America" is a disturbing and effective portrayal, as locals riot for water and Americans drink cocktails by the pool. The visual effects are stunning as well, with amazing panoramic views of "shock and awe" over Baghdad.
Green Zone should please action genre and most certainly Bourne fans, but be forewarned that the jittery camerawork may be a bit much for some viewers.