movie review: Green Zone

-
Green ZoneThe basics: Matt Damon plays Roy Miller,a warrant officer leading teams on tactical missions to discover the weapons of mass destruction we all now know were never there.

My thoughts: If you're been paying attention for long here, you know I'm not a big fan of war films (the notable exception, of course, being The Messenger, which is both the best war film I've seen and the best film of 2009.) I almost always enjoy Matt Damon, and his films with Paul Greengrass have been smart, action thrillers, so I was still eager to see this film.

Green Zone take place, not surprisingly, in the Green Zone of Iraq. It's a contemporary war film, a genre that often has trouble gaining traction. If you're a person who goes to movies to escape reality, then you probably don't read my blog; if you're a person who goes to movies to gain a deeper understanding of the world, contemporary or not, and also to be entertained, then you might just find yourself in love with this film. It's the perfect combination of entertainment and intelligence. At times it seems like an action film, at times it's a political thriller and at times it's an underdog tale of a soldier trying to do right.

Despite all the acclaim for The Hurt Locker, I thought it was rather mediocre. It was suspenseful, sure, but it didn't get at the heart of the issues of war and journalism I wish it had. Green Zone fills that void. It's gritty, suspenseful and has a strong point of view. There were times I wanted to cheer on Miller as loudly as I did during Fair Game (my review.) Green Zone doesn't hide from the realities of war or the realities of this war.

The verdict: Green Zone is packed with action, intelligence and heart. It's become my favorite war film (The Messenger is still my favorite film about the effects of war, a subtle difference), and I wish it found a wider audience to appreciate it's impressive combination of entertainment, education and escapism.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5 stars)
Length:115 minutes
Release date: It's on dvd now.
Source: Redbox

As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you!

Comments

  1. ZibileeFebruary 4, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    I really like Matt Damon and would really like to see this movie, even though I am not a really big war movie fan. I am glad to hear that you really liked this one!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Happy reading!

Popular posts from this blog

Mini-challenge: Where in the World Have You Read Today?

-
Hello, everyone! I hope you're enjoying your day of reading. I'm having a great time at the Empire State Book Festival, but I'm looking forward to reading soon too! Welcome to this hour's mini-challenge! I loved Trish's mini-challenge at the last read-a-thon showing where we all were actually reading, and it gave me the idea to make a map challenge showing where the book(s) we're reading today take place. To enter this mini-challenge, you'll need to do two things: 1. Go to this map .  (You must be signed into a Google account to post on Google maps. You can create a Google account if you don't have one.) Zoom until you find the location you want to click Click edit, which will give you the ability to add a pin mark.  Enter the book(s) you're reading or have read today. Include the title and author. If you're reading in the past or future, feel free to include the year too! If you want to include your blog address (if you have one), ple
Read more

The Backlist Book Club: The Clan of the Cave Bear discussion

-
Image
Welcome to The Backlist Book Club discussion of The Clan of the Cave Bear  by Jean M. Auel. Need a refresher? Check out my review of The Clan of the Cave Bear . 1. Typically, I'm not turned off by unlikable characters, but in The Clan of the Cave Bear , I was. Broud was too unlikable and no one else was likable enough to compensate. Which characters did you find to be likable and unlikable? 2. Even though I didn't like the book, the setting captivated and fascinated me. Much of the novel seemed hyper-realistic, but at times the Clan's traditions veered into science fiction. Overall, did you find the novel believable? 3. I think one of the reasons I didn't connect with Ayla was her age. When the novel began, she was a child, and I struggled to identify with her frustrations. What did you think of Ayla as she aged? Did your impressions of her change? 4. What surprised you in this novel? 5. To whom would you recommend this title? I encourage you to subs
Read more

book review: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

-
Image
The backstory: Gilead  won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005, the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2004, and was longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2006. The basics: As Rev. Ames nears the end of his life in the 1950's, he begins a letter to his young son because Ames realizes his son is too young to really know him. Gilead  is that letter. My thoughts: Gilead  is a novel I'm been meaning to read for years. It's a character-driven, Midwestern narrative by one of our best contemporary writers. It should be a novel I love, yet I struggled to finish it and admit I was wowed by neither the story nor the writing. Gilead  seemed almost stream-of-consciousness at first. I appreciated that Robinson jumped right in: this novel is a letter from father to son; the reader's ignorance of these two characters is not the focus. As the novel progressed, more details began to be filled in, and the reader begins to understand the characters, setting and purpose. I enjoyed the firs
Read more