Green Zone

Theatrical Release Date: 2008 (USA) / 2010 03 12 (USA)

UPC: 025195052979

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Profanity]

Summary: United 93 director Paul Greengrass explores the aftermath of the Iraq invasion in this feature adaptation of author Rajiv Chandrasekaran's literary expos? Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone. A onetime Baghdad bureau chief of the Washington Post, Chandrasekaran was present as American forces attempted to set up a provisional government on the grounds surrounding former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's opulent palace. The resulting governing body, according to critics, existed in a bubble so far-removed from the grim realities of the Iraq War that it failed to properly assess the needs of the people. In this fictional thriller set during the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad, director Greengrass and screenwriter Brian Helgeland use Chandrasekaran's journalistic account as the foundation for the story of an officer who joins forces with a senior CIA officer to unearth evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) is certain that Hussein has been stockpiling WMDs in the Iraqi desert, but in their race from one empty site to the next, they soon stumble across evidence of an elaborate cover up. As a result, Miller realizes that operatives on both sides of the conflict are attempting to spin the story in their favor. Now, as Miller searches for answers made ever more elusive by covert and faulty intelligence, the truth becomes the most valuable weapon of all. Will those answers prove pivotal in clearing a rogue regime, or escalate the war in a region that grows increasingly unstable with each passing day? Amy Ryan co-stars as the New York Times foreign correspondent who travels to Iraq investigating the U.S. government's allegations about weapons of mass destruction, with Greg Kinnear appearing in the role of an additional CIA officer, and Antoni Corone essaying the role of a colonel. Brendan Gleeson rounds out the main cast for this Universal Pictures production. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Features: Deleted Scenes
Matt Damon: Ready for Action
Inside the Green Zone

Green Zone

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 06/22/2010

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DHMA null, DTS-ES Digital Theater Systems, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 115 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Jason Buchanan

An American soldier questions his government's reasons for going to war and embarks on a desperate race to confirm his darkest suspicions in Green Zone, director Paul Greengrass' frantic Iraq War action thriller. Gripping in its early scenes and involving as the increasingly skeptical soldier stumbles across evidence of a massive cover-up, the film falters only during the unendurably jarring climax, when Greengrass' trademark handheld camerawork becomes so disorienting that it goes beyond conveying the chaos of warfare and devolves into a tiresome, unintelligible eyesore. Baghdad, Iraq: 2003. Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) and his men are searching the city for WMDs when, once again, they come up empty-handed. After voicing suspicions that the military may be receiving faulty intelligence and being silenced by his superiors, Chief Miller is approached by CIA agent Martin Brown (Brendan Gleeson), who asks Miller to contact him with any relevant updates. Meanwhile, Wall Street Journal reporter Lawrie Dayne (Amy Ryan) pushes White House intelligence correspondent Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear) for information regarding an Iraqi insider code-named "Magellan," who may be the source of the intelligence that the military is currently acting on. As Chief Miller and his men continue their search, they're approached by an Iraqi named Freddy (Khalid Abdalla), who just saw some of Saddam Hussein's top men holding a meeting at a local house. When one of those men proves to be Al Rawi, the Jack of Clubs in the deck of Iraqi "Most-Wanted" playing cards, Chief Miller senses his team may be onto something, and quickly discovers that sometimes the greatest enemy is within. Deftly scripted by Brian Helgeland and populated by a more than capable cast, Green Zone is, at its core, a high-stakes mystery set against the backdrop of a war-torn city. It has the distinct feeling of being written by someone who was actually there to experience these kind of events firsthand, which comes as no surprise since it's based on a book by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a onetime Baghdad bureau chief of the Washington Post who was present as American forces attempted to set up a provisional government on the grounds surrounding former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's opulent palace. And though we only get the occasional glimpse into life in that lavish, heavily fortified bubble -- where it isn't uncommon to find high-ranking officials soaking up sun by the pool, a slice of pizza in one hand and a cold beer in the other -- it's the effects of the betrayal committed by the U.S. government on its own soldiers, and everyday Iraqi citizens, that Helgeland seems most concerned in portraying. He does so by focusing largely on Chief Miller and Freddy, two men who just want the truth, and who are willing to fight for the futures of their respective countries. This sentiment is beautifully portrayed in a scene where Miller reassures Freddy that he'll be compensated for his role in helping the U.S. military, and the embattled Iraqi becomes overwhelmed with emotion while proclaiming that he didn't do what he did for a reward, but rather for the betterment of his country and his own people. Abdalla's role may be a small one, but he makes a big impression in just a few key scenes. The only place the film truly falters is under the direction of Greengrass, whose harried, twitchy style serves well to capture simmering emotions in confined spaces, yet flies hopelessly off the handle when the action moves outside. Even a simple punch to the face loses its power when the camera jerks violently away during a brief fistfight; Greengrass wants to give us a sense of getting lost in the scuffle, but instead only frustrates us as we struggle to try and figure out who has the upper hand, and precisely how they managed to get it. A climactic chase through the bombed-out streets of Baghdad could have been a nail-biting game of cat and mouse had the director taken care to give the audience a solid sense of spatial relations, but by attempting to use radar and military technology to do the job for him, Greengrass ultimately ends up crafting a scene that makes The Blair Witch Project look like it was shot on a Steadicam. Thankfully for Greengrass, Helgeland's screenplay manages to draw us back into the action with a poignant line from supporting character Freddy, and with a coda that's at once satisfying and sobering in its depiction of poetic justice. Unlike most action blockbusters that hit the multiplexes, Green Zone leaves a real mark due to the fact that the real-life consequences of the events depicted in the film are still being felt today -- by the citizens of both Iraq and America -- so while the story wraps up fairly nicely onscreen, the actual end is still, quite tragically, nowhere in sight. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Tim Bevan  Producer 
Eric Fellner  Producer 
Paul Greengrass  Director 
Paul Greengrass  Producer 
Brian Helgeland  Screenwriter 
Lloyd Levin  Producer 
Liza Chasin  Executive Producer 
Debra Hayward  Executive Producer 
John Powell  Composer (Music Score) 
Matt Damon  Actor 
Greg Kinnear  Actor 
Brendan Gleeson  Actor 
Amy Ryan  Actor 
Khalid Abdalla  Actor 
Jason Isaacs  Actor 
Antoni Corone  Actor 
Igal Naor  Actor 
Said Faraj  Actor 
Aymen Hamdouchi  Actor 
Nicoye Banks  Actor 
Jerry Della Salla  Actor 
Sean Huze  Actor 
Raad Rawi  Actor 
Bijan Daneshmand  Actor 
Bryan Reents  Actor 
Michael O'Neill  Actor 
Allen Vaught  Actor 
Paul Rieckhoff  Actor 
Martin McDougall  Actor 
Driss Roukhe  Actor 
Muayad Ali  Actor 
Soumaya Akaaboune  Actor 
Faical Attougui  Actor 
John Roberson  Actor 
James Brown  Actor 
Michael Judge  Actor 
Paul Jones  Actor 
Patrick St. Esprit  Actor 
Tim Ahern  Actor 
Whitley Bruner  Actor 
Intishal Al Timmi  Actor 
Jamal Selamoui  Actor 
Mohamed Kafi  Actor 
Kadhum Sabur  Actor 
Boubker Hilal  Actor 
Thamou el Metouani  Actor 
Salah Eddine Elamari  Actor 
Naji El Jouhary  Actor 
Aroun Benchkaroun  Actor 
Hajar Machroune  Actor 
William Oakes  Actor 
Ziad Adwan  Actor 
Ian Bendel  Actor 
Venie Joshua  Actor 
Miguel Berroa  Actor 
Peter Shayhorn  Actor 
Miguel Palaugalarza  Actor 
Christopher Lilly  Actor 
Omar Berdouni  Actor 
Sabir Ed-Dayab  Actor 
Alex Moore  Actor 
Alistair Bailey  Actor 
Paul Cloutier  Actor 
Wallace Bagwell  Actor 
William Meredith  Actor 
Tommy Campbell  Actor 
James Wills  Actor 
Jered Bezemek  Actor 
Johnny Nilsson  Actor 
Michael Dwyer  Actor 
Edouard H.R. Gluck  Actor 
Brian Siefkes  Actor 
Adam Wendling  Actor 
Abdul Henderson  Actor 
Paul Karsko  Actor 
Robert Miller  Actor 
Eugene Cherry  Actor 
Alexander Drum  Actor 
Brian Van Riper  Actor 
Matthew Knott  Actor 
Nathan Lewis  Actor 
Salman Hassan  Actor 
Ammar Khdir  Actor 
Youssif Falah-Jassem  Actor 
Latif Al Anzi  Actor 

Country: France,UK,USA