[4.75/10] Green Zone (2010)

Green Zone (2010)

Those expecting something as great as "Bourne" movies will be sorely disappointed as the only things that "Green Zone" has in common is Matt Damon and the trademark jerky directing by Greengrass. Yes, the hand-held camera-work is great for verite, but there comes a point where you would welcome watching a sequence where the camera stays still. The constant jiggling camera-work becomes profoundly wearisome when it continues throughout the entire movie. You'll be squinting through half the scenes in the movie either because it's too dark to see what's happening or because you're reaching for a bin to throw up in. The overall message is powerful although being several years too late it's a tad predictable to make a real impact. The performances are decent enough. Matt Damon is credible in his role, everyone else does their job well enough. Best of all the actors is Khalid Abdalla who plays Freddy, an injured Iraqi who gets caught in the intrigue and becomes Damon's translator. The film contained only two intensive action sequences, neither which were very exciting. The overall cinematography was unimpressive. On the positive side, the settings were authentic, and there was a genuine sense of danger on the Iraqi streets. In the end, the title is likewise misleading , because the "Green" Zone itself never plays a major part in proceedings. The movie definitely doesn't have the finesse of the "Bourne Trilogy", so don't be fooled and expect any! "Green Zone" fails to excite, intrigue and even makes you cringe when it attempts to shoe horn something meaningful in at the end.

• My Rating: 4.75/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 55% (6.0/10)
• IMDb: 7.2/10