Green Zone (2010)

Discovering covert and faulty intelligence causes a U.S. Army officer to go rogue as he hunts for Weapons of Mass Destruction in an unstable region.

Director:

Paul Greengrass

Writers:

Brian Helgeland, Rajiv Chandrasekaran (book)

Stars:

Matt Damon, Jason Isaacs, Greg Kinnear

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Igal Naor	...	Al Rawi
Said Faraj	...	Seyyed Hamza
Faycal Attougui	...	Al Rawi Bodyguard (as Faical Attougui)
Aymen Hamdouchi	...	Ayad Hamza
Matt Damon	...	Miller
Nicoye Banks	...	Perry
Jerry Della Salla	...	Wilkins
Sean Huze	...	Conway
Michael J. Dwyer	...	Met-D (as Michael Dwyer)
Edouard H.R. Gluck	...	Met-D
Brian Siefkes	...	Met-D
Adam Wendling	...	Met-D
Abdul Henderson	...	Met-D
Paul Karsko	...	Met-D
Robert Miller	...	Met-D

Storyline

Following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his men are charged with finding the so-called weapons of mass destruction, whose existence justified American involvement, according to the Pentagon and their man in Baghdad, Poundstone. Veteran CIA operative Marty tells Miller that there are no weapons, it is a deception to allow the Americans to take over the country and install a puppet leader. Also suspicious of Poundstone is Wall Street Journal reporter Lawrie Dayne, who lets slip to Miller that Poundstone told her he had secret talks in Jordan with an important Iraqi, code-named Magellan, who told him about the weapons, though it now seems likely Magellan's true information was to the contrary. So begins a hunt for the truth. Who's playing whom?

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Plot Keywords:

political military conspiracy | interrogation by torture | american | female reporter | speech | 

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Taglines:

Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller is done following orders

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The budget swelled because Matt Damon, Paul Greengrass, and the studio were unhappy with the original tame ending. The last third of the movie had to be reshot, which was complicated by the fact that Damon had already left to shoot The Informant! (2009) and the shoots had to be restaged months later to accommodate his schedule.

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Goofs

When Miller goes to the prison to offer the bribe, the guard calls him, "Sir." He is a Naval Chief (E-7 to 9). No self-respecting soldier or Marine would call a non-com "Sir".

In fact Miller is an Army Chief Warrant Officer (CW2-5), not a Navy Chief. Army Chief Warrant Officers are referred to as Ma'am or Sir.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Al Rawi Bodyguard: [air raid sirens] Leave that! Space is limited!
Al Rawi Bodyguard: [explosions beginning] Hurry up! Hurry! We must leave now!
Al Rawi Bodyguard: [chaos in the hallways] Downstairs everyone!
Al Rawi Bodyguard: General...
General Al Rawi: [no response]
Al Rawi Bodyguard: General Al Rawi, sir. We must leave now.
Al Rawi Bodyguard: Ayad, get in the car. I'm right behind you.
[leaving the building]
Al Rawi Bodyguard: Seyyed, send the men to the safe houses.
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #17.100 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Holla Back to the Burg
Written by Michael John Mollo
Performed by Michael John Mollo
Courtesy of Velvet Green Music

User Reviews

An all-around winner

One of the common threads linking films about the Iraq war is a sense of deep ambiguity about it's morality and purpose. "Green Zone" is no exception. Matt Damon skilfully portrays Roy Miller, an Army Warrant Officer whose unit is tasked with searching suspected WMD facilities for proof of the existence of Iraqi chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons. A chance encounter with a sympathetic Iraqi civilian puts Miller on the trail of an Iraqi general who could provide him with the evidence that he needs. However, the Pentagon, the recently deposed Baathists, and the CIA all have different agendas for Iraq's future and Miller finds himself being used by players from all sides.

This is a tautly paced, engrossing thriller that inhabits a moral world where all colors are shades of gray. The cast are excellent and the direction is top-notch. Particularly noteworthy is the realistic and sympathetic depiction of the Iraqi characters, irrespective of their allegiances. There is no shortage of action and the plot keeps you guessing until the credits roll. Along with "The Hurt Locker" this is one of the best films about the Iraq war and a brilliant night out to boot.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Studiocanal [France]

Country:

UK France Spain USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

12 March 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Green Zone

Filming Locations:

Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,309,295, 14 March 2010

Gross USA:

$35,053,660

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$154,711,438

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1