Movie Review: Green Zone (2010)

4 Stars out of 5

Matt Damon Finds Weapons of Mass Movie-Going Intensity

“Green Zone” takes a look at the Iraq War in a way that seems to be quite unique in that we are not the welcoming heroes but the bamboozled ones.

The movie’s message is that Iraq’s feared “WMDs” did not exist and that the NEOCONS within the George W. Bush administration completely fabricated and lied about these so-called Weapons of Mass Destruction and killed to cover up the deception on the American people and the world.

Green Zone is the latest Iraq War-inspired motion picture.  Personally, I wasn’t expecting too much because the trailer made it sound like a Bourne Identity movie. Bad trailer, excellent movie.

It’s an intense fast-paced and rollercoaster ride from the ready set-go.   My stomach knotted up within the first 5 minutes and never let go.  I was angry, mad, and sad for the Iraqi people that had to endure this unnecessary indignity because psychotic predators in the White House wished it so.  I am angry for the young men and women who died in the war to serve as assigns for George Bush’s thugs.

The war being fought in the film is more between the Pentagon and the CIA than the US v Iraq which makes it all the more interesting.  The film allows you to see things from Iraq’s perspective for a change.

Be advised that this is a thriller, not a documentary.  So many names are incorrect and the events portrayed are dramatized for effect.  But the premise remains principle-centered.

The setup in the film regarding the ‘Intelligence’ regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction used to justify the invasion is entirely believable.  Matt Damon is well suited to his part as a unit leader Roy Miller, as is Brendan Gleeson as the CIA man and Greg Kinnear is refreshingly nasty as Poundstone from the Pentagon – all turn in good performances.

This movie was filmed on location in Morocco, Spain, and in England but it sure seemed like they were in Bagdad.

The hand-held camera movement was bit much.  I hate that technique but it was used to give you that feeling that you were there with them on the ground in the fight.

The movie is based on the 2006 non-fiction book ‘Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a journalist for The Washington Post.  I haven’t read the book so I can’t comment on how closely the film follows its story.

Nevertheless, for me, I found myself mumbling during the movie with a tinge of hate.  By the end, I realized how angry I was for what happened to all of us during the dark night of the Bush era.

My family has personally suffered from this tragedy.  It’s more than a black eye for America, it’s National disgrace that may never be fully redeemed.

Take the Green Light and get into the Green Zone and let yourself go, you need to get it out!  Phew!

Get it on DVD at Amazon.com

Johnny Punish

Johnny Punish founded VT in 2004.  After 20 years at the helm, he “retired” from the daily operations in late 2023 passing the ball over to the new owner of VT, Chief Justin Time.   He now writes for VT as “Writer Emeritus”.  He is also a global citizen eco-activist, visionary, musician, artist, entertainer, businessman, investor, life coach, podcast host, and syndicated columnist.  

Punish is an ethnically cleansed Palestinian-American whose maternal family was evicted from their home in Haifa, Palestine in 1948 by Irgun; a Euro-Zionist Settler Terrorist Group.  The family became part of the over 1,000,000 Palestinians who are Al-Nakba refugees (The Catastrophe).  The family fled to Beirut Lebanon for 13 years eventually emigrating to the USA in 1961 via a Brasilian passport obtained by his Palestinian Brasilian-born grandmother (In the early 1900s, the family was sent to Sao Paolo Brasil as guest workers in the mining industry.  Punish’s father is Italian-American from New York City.  Punish’s paternal great-grandparents emigrated to the USA from Naples Italy and Marineo in Sicily in the 1890s.  Punish was born in the Bronx, New York in 1963.

Punish was educated at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (1980-81) and California State University Fullerton (1981-1984) with studies in accounting and business. Before the “internets” had been invented, he owned and ran (5) national newspapers in the United States of America from 1987-1998.  From 2004 to 2023, he owned and managed VT Foreign Policy retiring at the end of 2023.

Punish is also a recording artist.  He has over 100 original songs written. He records and produces music. A member of ASCAP, Punish has several songs placed in feature films. His music is promoted worldwide and played on all digital networks and net radio.

He is also the founder and owner of  Global Thinkers, a freedom media that helps free thinkers create real wealth.

Resources: Facebook –  YouTube – Apple Music – SoundCloud – Spotify –  X (Twitter)

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