GREEN ZONE
 
US, 2010, 106 minutes, Colour.
Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Amy Ryan.
Directed by Paul Greengrass.
 
Everybody has said it, 'Bourne in Baghdad' – which is no reason to say it again, but also no reason not to say it. Paul Greengrass directed The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum as well as United 93 and Matt Damon was Jason Bourne. In fact, Greengrass uses many of the techniques and the pacy editing of his other films to great effect here. But Matt Damon's Chief Miller is a much more straightforward character even when his Iraqui world becomes a morass of conspiracies.

While based on a book by the Washington Post's correspondent, Rajiv Chandrisakaran, Imperial Life in the Emerald City, and the screenplay is written by Brian Heligoland (LA Confidential, Robin Hood), this is a fictionalised account of some American activity in Baghdad within weeks of the invasion of Iraq. Chief Miller is in charge of missions searching alleged depots for weapons of mass destruction. He begins to be disillusioned with the quality of the supplied intelligence.

Most of the action takes place over one day and night. A local Iraqi offers information about a meeting of army chiefs. It emerges that the CIA expert (Brendan Gleeson) wants to make contact and is in favour of keeping the army commissioned to avoid or contain the sectarian violence. A Washington official, who planted the story about the weapons with a DC journalist (Amy Ryan), is actively promoting and scheming for democracy at all cost in Iraq and arrogantly and righteously manoeuvres the Washington decision-makers, the CIA and Miller as well as using his military henchman (Jason Isaacs) to interrogate and torture suspects. The official is played effectively by Greg Kinnear who is usually so charming in movies ,which makes his manipulation and calculated plotting even more alarming.

There are skirmishes, chases, confrontations, all filmed excitingly. There is also the reality of television and newspaper reporting, press conferences and briefings, official documents, cover-ups and exposes.

And, while the film is very firm on where it stands on the policies of George W. Bush and his advisers (anti), which some have interpreted as propaganda and preaching, it is the questions and issues it raises, primarily about the weapons of mass destruction information and pretext for the invasion, as well as the continued assumption that American style democracy is best for everyone whether they like it or want it or not, which gives the film a power to challenge.

1.            A fact-based film?  A screenplay of speculation, fictionalising the material?  Interesting – with the touch of the authentic despite the fiction?

2.            The title, the book on which the film was based, Imperial Life in the Emerald City?  A film adaptation?  The implications of The Wizard of Oz, the US and its dreams?  Those behind the show – fakes, incompetent? 

3.            The re-creation of Iraq, the aerial photography of the city?  The Moroccan and Spanish settings for Iraq?  Baghdad, the city itself, headquarters, hotels and pools, the Green Zone?  The ordinary streets, houses?  The side-streets, the alleged weapons of mass destruction sites?  Press conferences?  A feeling of documentary? 

4.            Audience knowledge of 2003 and the invasion of Iraq?  The subsequent history?  The background of the Gulf War, the two Presidents Bush, America and Saddam Hussein, oil, the weapons of mass destruction, the inspectors, the UN resolutions?  The invasion and the issue of its legality?  The effect?

5.            Showing the search for weapons of mass destruction, the orders, the military taking them literally despite finding none?  The deficient intelligence?  The questions?  The insistence that the weapons be found?

6.            The role of Poundstone, his Washington background, gung-ho, the end justifying the means?  His talk, his contempt for the CIA?  Control?  Going back to Washington and getting orders from the government?  His role in Baghdad, his meetings with the generals?  His imposition of democracy?  The fact that there were no weapons of mass destruction, yet his supplying the journalists with information, creating Magellan as the source?  The journalists not checking for truth?  Miller and the confrontations?  His press conference?  Using Briggs for torture, interrogations, attacks?  The technology of following Miller?  The theories about disbanding the army and its consequences?  The CIA recommending against this?  Miller, his pursuit of Miller, the deaths?  The new parliament and the wrangling?  The futility?  Setting the stage for the ensuing years in Iraq?

7.            The Sunnis and Saddam Hussein, the army, ruling for so long, the dictatorship and its harshness, deaths and torture?  American support?  The Shia meetings?  The gung-ho attitudes of the Americans?  Miller and his being approached by Freddie, the leads given?  Discussions with Brown and the CIA?  The arrests, Hamza and his being tortured, the victim and his family?  Poundstone and his sending Briggs to interrogate him, the brutality?  Brown and his giving the pass to Miller, the bluff, the interrogation, the dangers?  Hamza’s death?

8.            Miller, the Matt Damon type?  Following orders, going to the weapons of mass destruction sites, with his men, digging, the futility?  Complaining about the intelligence?  Getting advice from Brown, his reports?  The encounter with Freddie, testing him, the information, going to the house, the raid, the chases? 

9.            Brown and his experience in the Middle East, his theories about not disbanding the army but using it?  His using Miller?  Getting the pass?  His being thwarted by Poundstone and orders from Washington?

10.         Miller, the journalist, her talking with him, her articles, Miller reading them?  Sounding her out?  Her doubts, getting no answers from Poundstone?  Her discussions with Poundstone?  Miller and his finally discussing with her, assessing what had happened, writing the article and sending it to the press?

11.         Miller and his mission, the general, his being an adviser of Saddam Hussein?  Finding him, the pursuit and the chases?  The discussions, the truth about meeting with Poundstone in Jordan, hopes, Freddie and his killing the general, stating that the Americans had no right to make the decisions in Iraq?

12.         The chaos in Baghdad, the Americans and their lack of expertise, the farces in parliament and the wrangling, Washington and its orders, the role of the CIA? 

13.         Looking at the year 2003 in the retrospect of this film?