Green Zone

When Paul Greengrass set out to make a film about the tragic events of 9/11, it’s safe to say most cynics smelled cheese. Thankfully, that came in the form of Oliver Stone's World Trade Center and left the way totally clear for United 93 - a sensitive, thrilling and heartbreaking effort from Greengrass.

Green Zone now appears to be a marriage of the British director’s political dramas and the action-packed Bourne trilogy, a tirade against the WMD lies with a kick-ass Chief Warrant Officer Matt Damon leading the coup. Does it work? Well, not really. While Greengrass has assembled a strong cast, including Greg Kinnear as a slimy government official and Gone Baby Gone’s Amy Ryan as a desperate journalist, Brian Helgeland serves up a script full of types preaching to choirs.

‘It is not up to you to decide what happens here,’ proclaims Ayad, the symbol of Iraqi everyman. We are being told that it is up to Iraqis to decide the future of Iraq. In case we missed the first hundred messages.

While everybody knows the ending, and should be unsurprised to discover that there are no WMD in Iraq, the viewer could have been drawn into a searing character drama based on shattered illusions. Instead, we get Greengrass’ most blunt film. A furiously-edited (poor Christopher Rouse, and poor audience) message flick that lacks the sharp entertainment of the Bourne films and the visceral impact of United 93.



Released in cinemas on 12th March by Universal Pictures.

Written by Polis Loizou.