Green Zone is an interesting film for Canadians to watch; just like The Hurt Locker before it we’re watching a current world event that we very well could have been part of. Both of those films carry a meaning for Americans that isn’t a reality for most Canadians: this isn’t our war. It’s chilling to think how different things could have been if we had been taken in by the same deception (or mistakes, depending on who you believe).
The plot of the film center on Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, a man tasked with finding the weapons of mass destruction that the American Army was sent to war over. When his unit is sent on yet another fruitless search for WMDs, a local man alerts then to a meeting of high value targets taking place only a few kilometers away. This sets events in motion that lead Miller across Baghdad and against his own comrades in arms in an effort to find the truth.
Green Zone plays like a Tom Clancy thriller, with fast moving shots, explosions, and Matt Damon playing Jason Bourne light. It’s well framed and the action moves well, without ever feeling like it’s overstaying its welcome. The dialogue is sharp and well written, and performances from the principles are good.
It’s an odd exercise to be a Canadian looking into the glass bottle of a film about Iraq. For me there aren’t any preconceived notions about the good or bad guys – so I felt more comfortable letting the action unfold without any hopes for the direction of the story or the characters. I really liked the way that the film blends fact and fiction into a compelling story. I usually peruse film reviews after watching a film to see where critics landed in comparison to my opinion; I was appalled to see this film being labelled “anti-American” – I wasn’t aware that truth had an anti-American bias.
Green Zone is a good film. It’s got a sub-par rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but I think that may be skewed by critics who weren’t comfortable with the lens turned on the American contingent. Based on fact but steeped in fiction, Green Zone does a remarkable job of communicating exactly why operations in Iraq are still going on to this day.
Video and Sound
The audio track is DTS-HD Master Audio and joins other Universal discs in the “excellent” category for sound. I’ve yet to hear a Universal Blu-ray disc that I’m not happy with. If you’ve got the right gear (a component audio system and DTS-HD Master Audio compatible receiver) you’ll really enjoy Green Zone.
The video track is interesting. The transfer is good, but it’s not clean. A great deal of the scenes take place at night; they’re muddy, dirty, and chock full of noise. It’s so prevalent that I can’t believe it’s anything other than a conscious decision on the part of the director. You won’t be using this disc to show off the quality of your HD display, but it does do a great job of selling the world in which it takes place.
Extras
There are two mini-docs here, some deleted scenes (with or without video commentary), and Universal’s UControl mode that lets you watch the film and the special features in real time. It’s a touch light in comparison to other Universal titles on the extras front, but the docs that come with it are short and worth watching.
There is a digital copy that comes in the box for a limited time (until sometime in 2011, so if you’re reading this after that a) I’m sorry you’re out of luck on the digital copy and b) how’s the future? Do we have flying cars yet?). I uploaded it to my Mac, where it looks quite good, but it won’t stream over my network or play on my BlackBerry – DRM can be a real pain.
Conclusion
I liked Green Zone. I didn’t love it, but it was good. I enjoyed seeing the story of the faux-WMDs written into a larger tale, and I think Paul Greengrass as able to present the story without having to pay deferential homage to the US Army. It’s a decent popcorn flick with a truth flavour-shaker on top. If you haven’t seen it yet you should.
