Seen by many as a gap-filler until Greengrass and Damon make Bourne 4, this Iraq-set action-thriller lives up to expectations of being a clever, high-adrenaline picture that will only increase your hunger for Jason Bourne’s next outing. However, Green Zone doesn’t merely suffice as an in-between flick, it breaks through that ‘gap-filler’ label to stand out on its own merits as a meticulously crafted flick with a welcome sense of physical realism – as opposed to say, From Paris With Love or Law Abiding Citizen – that ensures you’re embedded deep within the action.
Greengrass and DP Barry Ackroyd have recreated a tremendously authentic Iraq; the numerous wide shots are simply splendid, assumingly using understated CGI to give it a gritty, war-torn atmosphere. When in close quarters the resonant sound design – punching gunfire, scratchy voices over the comms, thumping footsteps, humming of distant helicopters – that accompanies the intense set pieces add an additional level of immersion that’ll have you on the edge of your seat. The action itself is of the same high standard we have come to expect from Greengrass: fast, hard-hitting, unrelenting, genuine and exhilarating. Whether on foot or on wheels, Greengrass has a deft touch for creating suspenseful and convincing sequences that feel exactly like they would if occurring in real life.
If the story strikes you as slightly idealistic – all characters here are depicted as a clear cut good or bad, no ambiguity at all – that’s because it is. The protagonist Miller is the main focus of the piece and as such is given that extra profundity not afforded to the others and Damon reliably makes the most of this, delivering yet another solid performance. The rest of the cast are chiefly one-dimensional, but let’s face it, how much more fun is it when the hero screws over the political scoundrel or the haughty Special Forces Captain when we know without doubt they’re bad people? It’s credit to the seasoned talent of Isaacs, Gleeson and Kinnear that they provide entertaining caricatures that sneer, growl and smarm all in the right places.
