TSA Goes To The Movies: Green Zone

No, not the one from Sonic.

Published 10/03/2010 at 14:00.
By Tuffcub.

As our home consoles become much more than just machines for playing games on, we also must become more. So we are occasionally going to talk about the Zune movie service or the PSN Movie Download Service (which still needs a snappier name). We’ll talk about Digital Comics on the PSP too, from time to time. Home consoles want to be your full-featured home entertainment centers and TSA wants to walk with you through that whole experience. So we sent Tuffcub to the pictures. We didn’t even give him a budget for pick n’ mix.

Warning: Contains Mild Spoilers (although if you’ve got half a brain you will know the plot from reading the news)

On Monday I was invited to a posh Soho hotel to check out a preview of ‘Green Zone’ courtesy of our lovely chums on Xbox Live. Let’s answer the important question first: Canapés not quite as good as the Sony ones although the mini Shepherds pies were quite nice. After a quick drink and a look round at what was playing on various XBoxes (nothing new - Battlefield etc) it was off to the plush screening room for the movie.

The Green Zone is the tale of a Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, played by Matt Damon, who was one of the first in Iraq hunting for those elusive WMDs in 2003. Miller is following intel provided by his superiors but it constantly proves to be wrong and he begins to doubt the authenticity of the intelligence. A chance encounter with a helpful Iraqi leads him off on a chase to hunt down a leading Iraqi official who may be able to authenticate the intelligence.

The outcome of the movie is extremely obvious but the journey to the conclusion is pretty decent. The story alternates between Matt and his team out in the field in a very realistic bombed out Iraq and then switches to a more political tone as we get to see the CIA and American Government fighting over intel.

In a recent interview with Mark Kermode, director Paul Greengrass described the movie as having an authentic beginning but the tale that follows is a work of fiction. He stressed this rather a lot and after seeing the movie I can see why. The film shows that the US government lied and made up the claims of WMD as an excuse to invade Iraq and also shows them as incompetent fools.

Damon is believable in his character which is a good thing as he has 99% of the screen time. Brendan Gleeson seems rather miscast as a CIA operative and Lawrie Dayne makes the best of her three minutes on screen, it really is a Matt Damon movie. Best supporting actor has to be Jason Isaacs’s moustache – Captain Price would be proud.

The main problem my companion and I had with the film was the ‘Shakey cam’ footage. I think the entire film has been recorded using hand held cameras with so the picture swings and judders and shakes all over the shop. In some sequences it’s very hard to see what is going on, especially as the film is very grainy – this is one picture that is not going to be benefit from being on Blu-ray. Obviously these effects have been added to give you a sense of ‘being there’ but it does make it hard to follow the action.

Despite the heavy political tones of the film it is an action romp and it delivers on that promise. Well worth a punt on a rainy Friday night down your multiplex. Alternatively, wait a while and grab the movie via the Zune movie service where you can also catch the Bourne films which were also directed by Paul Greengrass and feature a certain Mr Matt Damon.

Pros:

Enjoyable action romp
Matt Damon perfectly cast
Jason Isaacs moustache

Cons:

Way to much shakey cam
If you’ve kept up with current events, you’ll know the plot.
Conclusion can be spotted from a mile away.

Comments

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Gastos84 | 10/03/2010 14:06
Team TSA: Writer
4238 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009

Is that trailer supposed to be for Green Zone?

I like Greengrass and Damon together, it seems to work. Nice review and I imagine it will be predictable but I’m defo going to check it out.
- Tuffcub | 10/03/2010 14:17
  Team TSA: Writer
  5711 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
  
  shuttupgastosivehad2hrsleepandcanhardlykeepmyeyesopenleavemealone *cries*
  - Gastos84 | 10/03/2010 15:06
    Team TSA: Writer
    4238 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009
    
    lol sorry. I thought it strange that Paul Walker would star in a decent film! :)
- hairfreax | 10/03/2010 15:57
  Member
  1717 TSA Points | Member since: Jun 2009
  
  Greengrass wasnt he in Heartbeat
  - skibadee | 10/03/2010 17:15
    Member
    10429 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2009
    
    crazy talk lol.
  - minerwilly | 10/03/2010 20:42
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    1197 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
    
    damn , you beat me too it . Greengrass is Sunday TV Ledge !
Jordaaaan | 10/03/2010 14:11
Member
1379 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010

So that little trailer the next film we can expect to see a review of?
- Jordaaaan | 10/03/2010 14:15
  Member
  1379 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
  
  Oh there we go. Chris Brown is probably as awful an actor as he is a boyfriend. HEE.
TSBonyman | 10/03/2010 14:24
Member
2916 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2009

I like the ‘fictitious’ route the film has taken.
cc_star | 10/03/2010 14:25
Team TSA: Writer
11320 TSA Points | Member since: Forever

really wanna see this, Greengrass & Damon are awesome together in the Bourne series
- Tuffcub | 10/03/2010 14:26
  Team TSA: Writer
  5711 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
  
  Im not a fan of the Bourne films but Green Zone is a decent enough romp.
- SpikeyMikey23 | 10/03/2010 14:33
  Member
  1489 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
  
  Im not a fan of the cinema, but ill probably end up getting it on bluray, the only films i seem to buy on bluray are war films and scifi
- skibadee | 10/03/2010 17:16
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  10429 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2009
  
  love the Bourne films so look forward to this.
Winkle | 10/03/2010 14:47
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1069 TSA Points | Member since: Nov 2009

I’ve been waiting on this a while now after watching an interview with Matt Damon just over a year back. Seems to have taken ages to release. Wonder if the political climate had anything to do with it.
Severn2j | 10/03/2010 14:50
Member
2019 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008

“The film shows that the US government lied and made up the claims of WMD as an excuse to invade Iraq and also shows them as incompetent fools.”

So which bits of it are fiction?
- Tuffcub | 10/03/2010 15:27
  Team TSA: Writer
  5711 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
  
  There’sa difference between some light hearted “ho ho george bush was a fuckwit” and “you got thousands of people killed because you lied”.
  - cc_star | 10/03/2010 15:41
    Team TSA: Writer
    11320 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
    
    But he did, and they did
Bilbo_bobbins | 10/03/2010 15:17
Member
2151 TSA Points | Member since: Jun 2009

I like Matt Damon, but the again I also like Greengrass, but which one is better? There’s only one way to find out Fiiiiiiiiight !
- Jordaaaan | 10/03/2010 15:23
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  1379 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
  
  Ew.
shields_t | 10/03/2010 15:32
Member
2241 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008

Liked the review, is this going to become a regular feature?

Though dare I ask, why were ms promoting this film? Is it just the link to Damon and greengrass films’ availability on Zune?
- cc_star | 10/03/2010 15:41
  Team TSA: Writer
  11320 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
  
  I think the Bourne Trilogy coming to Zune marketplace is the reason
  - shields_t | 10/03/2010 16:01
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    2241 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
    
    Fair play, that makes sense.
SIR-DARK-HAZE | 10/03/2010 16:33
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rht992 | 10/03/2010 17:11
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4168 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009

Matt Damon (if you don’t get it then imagine a puppet)