Matt Damon was nominated this year for an Academy Award for his role in Invictus. That’s right Invictus. Probably the worst film he’s ever done and before you say anything, I have seen Stuck on You. Now, I’m being a little harsh. Matt Damon isn’t to blame for Invictus. I’d say Clint Eastwood is but I don’t really think he directed it. Honestly, I think Morgan Freeman snuck into the editing room when Clint was away and created the mess that is Invictus.
I think Clint is too nice a guy to leave his friend hanging, so he went ahead and attached his name. Now I’m probably giving Clint too much credit. I just don’t want my fantasy destroyed. The one where I believe that Clint Eastwood is a capable filmmaker who can do no wrong. (You like how I call him Clint like we’re best friends? Well we are.) Enough about Invictus. I’m here to talk to about Green Zone , the latest partnering between Matt Damon and Bourne director Paul Greengrass.
The film tells the fictional story of Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, played by Matt Damon, as he searches for the very real fictional WMDs that are at the root of the Iraq War. Does that make sense? (I said they were fictional because we never found them in reality despite the fervent claims of some pre-invasion.)
The film opens with Miller raiding a suspected WMD site. Unfortunately Miller and his men find nothing. Miller has gone to several locations where WMDs are supposed to have been hidden, only to discover that the intelligence is not as reliable as the higher ups want it to be. So Miller decides he must find the truth and searches for the real source of the bogus intelligence.
The film is an oversimplification of a very complex issue and one of the most tragic events in the history of our country. If I were a soldier in Iraq or knew someone that served, I would find this film insulting. It’s shame considering Paul Greengrass’ previous success adapting real-life tragedies: Flight 93 and Bloody Sunday .
Green Zone is a simple thriller masking itself as a commentary on the war in Iraq and how the world was duped into believing the invasion of Iraq was justified. (If you want to watch a great satirical commentary of Middle Eastern invasions then watch In the Loop. A far superior film.) Green Zone simply exploits the inherent drama of a real war, a current war, to make a few bucks. A few bucks is probably an understatement. It will likely be second place this weekend, Alice in Wonderland will probably continue to dominate.
Matt Damon’s Roy Miller is a flat robotic character who sees simple black and white. He’s an incorruptible hero unable to make a wrong decision. He’s so perfect that his heroic ending makes Roy Miller seem like nothing less than the savior of the world.
Bottom Line: Don’t be fooled by this movie. The worst part of this film is that it’s just as deceitful in it’s storytelling as the people that led us to war. It’s a predictable thriller pretending to give a shit about the realities of the War in Iraq.
