“COMING UP EMPTY HANDED”
Starring: Matt Damon, Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Antoni Corone and Nicoye Banks
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
MPAA Rating: R for violence and language
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Adaptation and War
Release date: March 2010
By John Delia
The war drama Green Zone takes on the searing question ‘Did we go to war over a hoax?’ and comes up empty handed. Although the film is quite political, I still enjoyed the action and the acting in this non-stop thriller. If you like films about war that have a political agenda, then this one should be on top of your list. That said, action lovers who want a dose of suspense at every turn should run to see Green Zone.
The film centers on Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller who is befuddled by coming up empty in his search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD’s) following the takeover of Iraq by US Armed Forces. Being sent into the hotbed of Iraq’s most dangerous areas on faulty leads, he confronts his superiors demanding where they are getting their misinformation and putting his squad in harms way for nothing. Determined to get to the bottom of the bogus claims that WMD’s exist, Miller becomes a rogue determined to ignite a firestorm that could reach all the way to the top of the US government.
Damon handles his character well showing the hell bent determination to get to the bottom of the major reason why the US attacked Iraq. As Miller he will stop at nothing to prove his theory even interrogating, torturing and compromising his position to find answers.
Greengrass does an excellent job of directing the film containing the touchy subject matter. He immediately gets you involved with the fighting by putting the viewer in a position to experience the challenges that Warrant Officer Miller has to face. Then he turns the audience into an inquisition of sorts with questions about the US’s reasons for the lengthy war.
The thriller is relentless with chase scenes that last several minutes longer than most action films. I found myself on the edge of my seat at times and worn out by the end of the relentless movie.
However, the question of whether there were WMD’s doesn’t really go any further than what you see on the screen. Was the US government tricked into attacking Iraq? Or was it an excuse to go to war to displace a despot? The film comes up empty handed on both questions.
The film is rated R for violence and language. Some of the scenes show brutality and gore so beware of this in deciding to bring immature loved ones.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â A good action flick that rehashes an erstwhile question.