TRUTH HURTS
In Iraq, desperate people fight for water in a devastated. And in the ‘Green Zone’, where the Americans are, bikini-clad women lounge by a pool, the battle raging outside is not even an echo on their luxurious haven.
Paul Greengrass’s Green Zone is scathingly critical of the US military role in Iraq, and it takes some courage to say that the Weapons of Mass Destruction that the US army went into the country to demolish, did not exist; the US government was aware of it, yet went ahead and took thousands of lives. Not only that, the men who came up with this web of deception did all they could to cover up their tracks.
The film does not claim to be based on facts, but now people are willing to believe the worst of the hawkish Bush administration, so true or not, the film works well enough as a thriller, shot in jittery documentary style, almost devoid of colour.
Matt Damon, who has done two Bourne films with Greengrass, plays Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, who is bewildered when all their raids to find WMDs come up empty. He starts to question the accuracy of Intelligence reports and stumbles onto a conspiracy. When he digs into the truth with the help of a local Freddy (Khalid Abdalla—terrific performance), obstacles are placed in his path.
The film has an Indian connection, it is based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran's 2006 exposé Imperial Life in the Emerald City. The fictionalization does involve improbable co-incidences and excessive bravado, but it still makes one think.
Actors like Greg Kinnear and Brendan Gleeson turn up to play the guys who keep the wheels of US Intelligence oiled, and change sides if needed. In the murky mess, Matt Damon’s clean cut, earnest good looks make for perfect casting. He is a brave and honest soldier, but he is not a brainless fighting robot. Green Zone is recommended viewing.
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