This is topic Green Zone in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 03-13-2010, 07:39 PM:
 
After the admirably apolitical The Hurt Locker comes the intensely political Green Zone, a story about the lies perpetuated by the US military machine regarding the existence of WMDs in Iraq and the efforts of one front-line grunt (who bears a striking resemblance to Matt Damon) to expose the truth. The result is a mixed bag of high tension, the destruction thereof and a blurring of the lines between fact and fiction.

Hand held camera work is Paul Greengrass' strength as it is his bane. In some instances, like the films opening scenes for example, the disorientation and confusion which this cinematographic technique creates complements perfectly the uncertainty and chaos in the action on screen - fear, bombs, looters, an army in disarray - the depiction of an uncontrolled environment using an equally uncontrolled camera style is masterfully appropriate. At other times, however, it just seems lazy, like nobody could be bothered setting up a dolly or even a tripod. A chase scene, for instance, is not uncontrolled. It is a precise combination of events: A is followed by B, B is followed by C, D and e etc. It is important to be able to follow these details in order to comprehend the action but when shakily shot by Greengrass it is impossible to determine who is chasing who, who just got shot or where anybody is in relation to anybody else. There's nothing for the audience to do but watch glazy eyed until the dust settles and find out who's left standing at the end. Similarly, employing shaky-cam within the strictly-controlled environs of a military briefing also makes no sense and smacks of laziness.

The film weaves fact with fiction in a way which makes it difficult to distinguish the boundary between the two - unless, perhaps, you happen to be a Gulf War analyst. But most of us are not which makes the films approach somewhat questionable considering the conflict in question is ongoing and the effect the film may have on the public consciousness as regards the truth of the matter. And public consciousness, of course, influences politics. While this can be a positive force, it can be a negative one as well so defined boundaries of truth are paramount. Perhaps it would be appropriate to preface films such as this with a disclaimer emphasising the fictional nature of some of its elements? This would have been appropriate in some other films of modern historical significance, the otherwise excellent The Last King Of Scotland comes to mind.

Some inherent social responsibility is required of a film like this and I'm not convinced Greengrass takes this seriously enough. That aside, Greengrass certainly knows how to create tension in his films but he also (unwittingly presumably) knows how to destroy it. The result is that Green Zone is a mixed bag of everything which is good and bad about the Greengrass style and as such this will be considered one of his lesser works, sitting below the likes of United 93 and The Bourne Ultimatum.

7.5 out of 10.
 
Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 03-14-2010, 06:21 AM:
 
I haven't had a chance to see this yet, but the great lab work was instantly noticable when showing this. An amazingly sharp print. It's a good thing to see these days.
 
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 03-14-2010, 05:31 PM:
 
I saw this on Friday night, and the theater (my old one) had already managed a faint scratch running through the print. Clearly, standards have fallen some. Apart from that, I thought the quality of the print was quite nice. Sharp, steady, the colors were beautifully saturated, and the contrast was good.

Usually, shaky cam irritates me tremendously (I wrote off Cloverfield just from auditorium checks), but it was well executed enough that it was at best complimentary to the action, and at worst a minor annoyance. The film overall was quite enjoyable, even as the plot was extremely transparent. The movie successfully conveys the confusion and uncertainty of our troops' early days in Baghdad, between a relatively easy military march and a very hard and bloody counterinsurgency. This state of confusion serves as the backdrop for a conspiracy thriller which entertains through its execution, if not through any great twist of plot. You may come to wonder at a certain point if there will in fact be a turn of the rather inexorable plot, but there will in fact not, and the movie will end more or less as the second reel promises it will.

Stu, while I don't disagree on your point about the filmmaker's social responsibility in a project like this, I think the citizen must assume some responsibility and pick up a reputable newspaper from time to time. Anyone who is to any extent informed on current events will be able to separate the fiction from the nonfiction, unless they are my age and were very young at the time. You don't have to worry overmuch about my "peers", as they don't vote, or generally watch political conspiracy thrillers, for that matter.
 
Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 03-14-2010, 06:01 PM:
 
Sure, as long as it is reasonably possible for a citizen to distinguish the difference. The waters were already well muddied when it comes to WMDs and I don't think the film should muddy it more. It ought to be trying to clarify it.

What did you think of the basic premise of this film, Galen?
Spoiler Alert - Click to Toggle
You're closer to the action there than me though, Galen, so what do you think?
 
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 03-14-2010, 07:02 PM:
 
If that aspect of the film were based on reality, would any of us know about it? Without being political, what is clear in hindsight is that the intelligence with which the case for war was made was inaccurate, but who knew what and when is still not known. What we do know now (based upon questioning while he was in custody) is that Hussein didn't allow inspectors who would find that there were no current programs because he thought that the ambiguity of the issue kept his regime safe from Iran, and he was (apparently mistakenly) more afraid of Iran than the United States. Those are the facts as they have come out, but any analysis of such broad issues is likely to be political, which is forbidden by forum rules, as well as being difficult to fully elaborate any thoughtful position on the internet, the ancestral home of extreme viewpoints and knee jerk reactions.
 
Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 03-14-2010, 08:50 PM:
 
Today at Regal 15 in Eugene, #14, 35mm. Puzzled why everyone is raving about the print quality because it seemed very average. The trailer for Robin Hood looked fantastically good in comparison so it's not a one-off presentation issue. [Shrug]

Oh trust me, there are plenty of people who will watch this and believe it's a docu-drama, not the 90/10 blend of fiction and fact that it is. That said I found it well-made and entertaining in a "What If" kind of way.
 
Posted by Richard P. May (Member # 3598) on 03-15-2010, 10:01 AM:
 
I see that GREEN ZONE did not do at all well at the boxoffice in its opening weekend. I wonder if the very obvious shakycam in the trailers had anything to do with it, and maybe the audiences are rebelling against this?
Same question about HURT LOCKER.
 
Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 03-15-2010, 11:16 AM:
 
To think that the Shaky cam had anything to do with the opening boxoffice is stupid. No movie about the modern war does well at the theatre. Look back and you'll be hard pressed to find one that has done more then 20-25mil opening weekend. Alice had a strong second weekend and kept this one down.

My quick review, the trailer gives away the entire movie from start to finish. With few plot details not given away. This is a straight A to B action/thriller movie. Its well acted on all fronts and well made. It will find its niche and do well, but its not going to be a blockbuster hit. Damon is in strong form in this one and is truly coming in to his own as an actor more and more.

4.5/5 [thumbsup]
 
Posted by Alex Edwards (Member # 5413) on 03-16-2010, 12:23 PM:
 
quote: David Stambaugh
Today at Regal 15 in Eugene, #14, 35mm. Puzzled why everyone is raving about the print quality because it seemed very average. The trailer for Robin Hood looked fantastically good in comparison so it's not a one-off presentation issue.
Same with the print I saw. I was almost dissapointed in the quality of the print compared to some of the trailers. It was very grainy and soft.
 




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