Green Zone, Blu-ray 2-Disc Ltd. Edition (2010)
Starring Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan
Director: Paul Greengrass
Studio: Universal 61106212 [6/22/10]
Video: 2.40:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9 1080p HD
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, DVS 2.0, Spanish or French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Deleted scenes, “Matt Damon: Ready for Action,” “Inside the Green Zone,” BD-Live 2.0, U-Control features: Commentary track by Damon & Greengrass, PIP section with behind-the-scenes footage & interviews while viewing the film, D-Box motion enabled. separate DVD with digital copy
Length: 1 hr. 55 mins.
Rating: ***1/2
This is the same actor and director as two of the three highly successful Bourne series, and a good action film on a conspiracy theme – partly fictional – that should appeal to many, but it’s not as good as the Bourne Trilogy. Damon plays Chief Warrant Officer Miller, leader of a unit just after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which is searching for the elusive WMDs cited by Bush as the reason for the invasion.
Of course they don’t find any WMDs and Miller begins to question his superiors about the faulty intel. A battle ensues between CIA Agent Martin Brown and Pentagon bigwig Clark Poundstone, with Miller stuck in the middle. Although much of the movie was shot in Spain, the feeling of the actual Green Zone in Baghdad is conveyed well. Actual U.S. Army Iraq vets were used as members of Miller’s team for utmost realism in the military operations. The two documentaries illustrate some of the behind-the-scenes efforts. Some of the action sequences appear very realistic and tension-producing. They are often shot in low-light nighttime situations, with some extremely grainy images. Also the hand-held camera work – intended to add realism and a sense of panic to these scenes, goes on too long and is simply too jerky and violent. I could imagine some sensitive viewers getting sea-sick.
Matt Damon is terrific in his role, and the film’s unusual stance is an approach to the Iraq War movie we haven’t seen before, but The Hurt Locker has sort of taken the cake as the No. 1 Iraq War movie, and Green Zone doesn’t quite measure up to it. Those scenes properly exposed look great in the Blu-ray transfer, and the explosions and gunfire are most involving in the DTS lossless surround track. It’s still a good thriller if the excessive hand-held camera work doesn’t get you down.
– John Sunier
