As the War in Iraq rages on in the Middle East, directors continue to flex their political muscles by portraying soldiers during American affairs. As director Paul Greengrass reunites with Matt Damon, in another action thriller collaboration, to create the film The Green Zone, he presents unintentional question to the American public: when will it be appropriate to create a film based on American political exploits?
Matt Damon plays Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, who is in charge of the search for Weapons of Mass Destruction. However, after months of finding nothing, he begins to question their sources of intel. His questioning sparks the uncovering of a government conspiracy as American politicians fight to control the blooming democratic government in Iraq.
What makes the film so intriguing is not necessarily the plot of the film, or the political agenda it upholds. The current appeal this film holds is the public reaction. Touching upon a touchy subject such as the prolonged search for WMDs within the Middle East is a difficult task, and some people thought that the political agenda Paul Greengrass was interested in emphasizing was, in fact, Un-American.
Greengrass is not new to filming such sensitive material. In 2006, he directed United 93, a film about the exploits of flight United 93 on September 11, 2001, as the passengers overtook the terrorists, forcing it to crash in Pennsylvania. But, while United 93 was acclaimed for its poignancy and tenderness, The Green Zone was seen as an action film about Americans vs. Americans. As some reviewers wrote, the film is a slanderous piece of Hollywood that insults America.
However, the political agenda, whether it is overemphasized by the public or the filmmakers, is not the entire issue that the film presents. As people bring their political views to the film and let their right-wing or left-wing loyalties sway their opinions on The Green Zone, we see the true issue that Greengrass is presenting. The film portrays sensitive material, because it involves a bloody and political situation that the U.S. is still embroiled in.
At this point, we wonder: for how long must filmmakers ignore the world around them, and concentrate on films that don’t approach modern-day subjects? At what point would The Green Zone have been accepted as an action film with a nice twist on reality? Twenty years? Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino’s last film, which was shown in theaters a year ago, took reality and turned it into a piece of fiction. Yet, audiences worldwide accepted this altered reality. If this film were to have been released directly following World War II, would audiences have accepted it, or would they have labeled it as slanderous and insulting to veterans of the war?
The reviewers and critics who assaulted The Green Zone are indeed the minority, as many critics thought it to be a fun action film and a relatively realistic look into the War in Iraq (the film is based off of the book “Imperial Life in the Emerald City,” which documented life in the Green Zone, located in Baghdad). But the negative views of the film bring to light just how audiences view the world around them. The Green Zone is an honest approach to the War in Iraq simply because it involves a political agenda, and opinions from Paul Greengrass. Without the agenda or the opinions, the film would be useless fluff. Good, thought provoking films are what Hollywood needs, and they are what should be produced.
We have to wonder how sensitive we can allow ourselves to be when viewing a film like The Green Zone. How long must it take for the film to be accepted, and for it to not “insult” America? What the negative critics viewed in the film was an insubordinate Army officer fighting Americans. However, the film embodies humans, not Americans. It’s not about Americans vs. Americans, and it’s not supporting the Iraqi military, or even slandering American values. What Paul Greengrass creates is a film that discusses the values of right and wrong, and the consequences behind the decisions. And if we don’t open our minds and allow ourselves to view the film as an opinionated piece with meaning, then we have missed the point.
The film itself was well done, although if you got a little nauseas watching the shaky camera work (literally) in the last two Jason Bourne installments, then this won't fix anything. It should be noted, though, that to enjoy The Green Zone, you truly need to leave your political inhibitions at the door.
Rating: 7.5/10
Extra: I'm okay with Matt Damon becoming an action star, as long as he keeps being a badass, and the studios decide to give him a love interest...that they don't kill.
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