Movies

"Green Zone" is the latest in a crop of movies based on the war in Iraq, but unlike "The Hurt Locker", this by-the-numbers thriller won't be bothering Oscars voters. The movie sees Matt Damon reuniting with Paul Greengrass, director of the last two "Bourne" movies, but unfortunately the results are less than compelling. "Green Zone" is set in the weeks after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and the subsequent toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime. Damon plays Roy Miller (since when are action heroes called Roy?) who carries the inexplicable title of "chief warrant officer". What this means isn't really explained, but it does mean he gets called "chief" a lot. Miller leads a team of grunts searching for weapons of mass destruction in and around Baghdad. Just as the president George W Bush is declaring "mission accomplished" Miller is beginning to smell a rat over the original justification for going to war. Unfortunately, the audience is also beginning to smell a rat as Damon's acting veers from unconvincing to wooden. From there it's all downhill. Greengrass seems to be ticking the boxes. Maverick soldier who just wants to do the right thing: check. Pentagon pen-pusher with hidden agenda: check. Grizzled CIA man who no-one listens to: check. Plot twists are telegraphed way in advance so there's no danger of any major surprises for the audience and Damon's failure to give his lead any real personality makes the movie appear to drag on for longer than it needs to. Greg Kinnear is okay as the Pentagon bureaucrat, but Amy Ryan is lamentable as a nosy journalist asking all the wrong questions. The movie's only redeeming feature is some nice cinematography which gives a sense of the chaos of an occupied Iraq. Matt Damon fans will probably enjoy this, but there's little to recommend for anyone else.