Green Zone

The climactic chase in "Green Zone" takes place in an urban maze of buildings, rooftops and alleyways. It involves Matt Damon (let's call him America 1), some American soldiers with a different agenda from Damon (America 2), an Iraqi General and his Republican Gaurds (Iraq 1) and an Iraqi translator with a different agenda (Iraq 2). That's four separate human elements in a massive chase through an urban landscape (rooms, hallways, alleys, rooftops). Oh, and I almost forgot the helicopters. Yet there is not one solitary second where it isn't crystal clear who is chasing whom, where they are and what their relationship to the other chasers or chasees is. That's big time skill. That's Paul Greengrass. He is a master of action underpinned by clarity and logic. It shouldn't be surprising. His recent credits include United 93 (a masterwork) and the last two Bourne films.
As an action thrill ride this film ranks right up there with his last three. But this film has another element that Greengrass had to deal with. Here he tackles the politics of the Iraq War. In "United 93" he scrupulously avoided it. The Bourne films existed in their own world where politics was personal and the agendas weren't plucked from the headlines. Here it deals with the reality of America's choice to go to war. It has to chose sides. Now for most Americans, I think, the folly of manufacturing reasons to go to war is apparent. The issue is decided. And the few pro-Bush hangers-on are too busy organizing Tea Parties to go to the movies. But that's just where the trouble lurks. The politics of this film are very black and white. The complexity of the deftly handled action sequences aren't matched by an equally complicated political story. No complexity, no conflict. No conflict, no drama.
Still very few of the Iraq stories we have seen to date (actually none that I can think of) have even touched on the politics. They favor the personal stories of soldiers over the left or the right. We got some good films that way (witness "The Hurt Locker") But now that the debate is started, I say bring it on. The neo-cons be damned.
As an action film "Green Zone" is a ten, as a political thriller maybe a six or a seven. That averages out to about an 8, 81/2. That's worth the price of admission.