Green Zone (2010); action drama thriller film review

Poster artwork for the action drama film Green Zone.

Bourne In Baghdad by Linh

Director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum) helms another action-packed drama film. Green Zone, which stars Oscar winner Matt Damon who also appeared in his Bourne movies. In Green Zone, Greengrass places the hero in the midst of a real-life event to uncover the truth behind the lies, deceit and a conspiracy that sends hundreds of US soldiers to war in Iraq.

The film grew out of a curiosity for Greengrass and writer Brian Helgeland who wondered about the intrigue, fear and paranoia in searching for weapons of mass destruction (WMD).  They question the justification of war against Iraq based on the claim from the Bush administration that Saddam Hussein had WMDs. Their collaboration has created a film with the right combination of action, drama and thrills to keep the viewer engaged in the story and its characters. The film is loosely based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s book titled Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone, with some fictitious elements in Green Zone that are for entertainment purposes. The film is set a few months into the War on Iraq, but Rajiv Chandrasekaran, who was the Baghdad bureau chief for the Washington Post, tells of life in US-occupied Iraq first-hand, yet he allows the reader to judge the impact of US occupation in post-war Iraq.

HUNTING WMDs: Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) continues to seek WMDs without success in the film Green Zone. Image: Universal Pictures.

The film begins with Chief Warrant Roy Miller (Matt Damon) and his team of soldiers in search for WMDs in various locations throughout Iraq during the early days of the war in 2003. It is the third location he and his team have searched but still no WMDs were found. Miller starts to ask too many questions regarding the source of the information on WMDs and he places himself in danger as high-ranking US government officials hinder and attempt to foil Miller’s pursuit of the truth.

Green Zone has been compared with the Best Picture Academy Award winning film The Hurt Locker, but there are clear differences in both films. The Hurt Locker concentrates on the dangerous job of US soldiers in bomb disposals, whereas Green Zone features a rogue soldier who breaks away from his assigned task of WMD retrieval. The Hurt Locker is largely devoid of opinions for the War in Iraq and it is hardly a film about the war, but Green Zone has obvious leanings towards anti-war sentiment. The Hurt Locker gets its name from a slang term used by US soldiers to describe a painful and destructive place they’d never want to be, but the Green Zone is an American military occupied location in the Middle East that has the appearance of a five star resort hotel.

Greengrass has selected an excellent ensemble cast who all bring believability and some mystery to their roles. Matt Damon is the epitome of what heroes are made of in Green Zone as the courageous and honourable Chief Roy Miller.  Miller’s frustration at not uncovering any WMDs at the allocated sites as ordered by faulty intelligence, reflects the feelings of many critics of the War in Iraq, and Matt Damon is superb in conveying the confusion of a patriotic American, and the eagerness to uncover the truth of the existence of any WMD. 

Brendan Gleeson portrays the CIA officer Martin Brown who represents the middle-man for the US and the Middle East. Gleeson gives his character, Martin Brown, the rugged and experienced look of a man whose pragmatic approach to business has earned him much respect yet he continues to be cautious at every turn.

Amy Ryan who was brilliant in Gone Baby Gone, plays Lawrie Dayne, a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal publication, who holds a vital piece of information that helps Roy Miller track down the truth he’s seeking. Ryan provides an air of mystery and ambiguity in a convincing portrayal of her character who is quick to believe but just as quick to judge.

The supporting cast is equally wonderful including British actor of Egyptian descent, Khalid Abdalla, who is fantastic as the local Arab nick-named Freddy, with a prosthetic left leg, and befriends Roy Miller, also assisting him right until the end before a devastating encounter ends their alliance; Greg Kinnear does well with the role of Clark Pounderstone, a high-ranking Pentagon Defence Department official who thwarts Roy Miller’s plans in revealing the truth about WMDs; Yigal Naor plays General Al Rawi, the second-in-charge after Saddam Hussein in the Ba’ath Party, and gives an intense performance of a seemingly innocent player in any involvement with WMDs; and Jason Isaacs is Miller’s nemesis Major Briggs from Special Forces who is steely-eyed and ready to shoot on order as he thwarts Miller’s every move.

ELUSIVE WMDs: Major Briggs (Jason Isaacs) of Special Forces attempts to hinder Chief Roy Miller's  (Matt Damon) pursuit of the truth about WMDs in the film Green Zone. Image: Universal Pictures.

Although the film is set in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, most of the scenes were filmed in Morocco, Spain and in the UK; yet the art and production design team have excelled in depicting a very realistic creation of the streets of Baghdad. Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, who also filmed The Hurt Locker, exhibits the same attention to detail and some queasy-cam techniques are relevant to the action scenes in Green Zone. There are a couple of horrendous scenes where Iraqi women and children flee or shield themselves from the volley of bullets as men exchange gunfire inside homes.

Green Zone has the same slick and smart editing as seen in the Bourne films, as well as a clever film script that teases the audience’s curiosity, and tempt their appetite for compelling drama and explosive action.

TRUTH ABOUT WMDs: Reporter Lawrie Dayne (Amy Ryan) and Chief Roy Miller (Matt Damon) get closer to the facts about the WMD programme in the film Green Zone. Image: Universal Pictures.

Director: Paul Greengrass 

Writers: Brian Helgeland (screenplay), Rajiv Chandrasekaran (book Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone)

Cast: Matt Damon, Brendan Gleeson, Greg Kinnear, Khalid Abdalla, Amy Ryan, Yigal Naor, Aymen Hamdouchi , Martin McDougall, Jason Isaacs, Nicoye Banks, Jerry Della Salla, Sean Huze, Lewis Alsamari, Omar Berdouni, Said Faraj, Faycal Attougui

Producers: Tim Bevan, Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin, Tadeo Villalba hijo, Alvaro Ron, Jo Burn, Eric Fellner, Christopher Rouse, Zakaria Alaoui,  Michael Bronner, Kate Solomon, Lloyd Levin, Mairi Bett

Original Music Composer: John Powell      

        

Cinematographer: Barry Ackroyd

                 

Film Editor: Christopher Rouse  

Production: Dominic Watkins (Production Designer), Juan Pedro De Gasper (Art Director), Lee Sandales (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Sammy Sheldon

        

Languages: English, Arabic with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 55 minutes

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (2007); crime drama film review

Poster artwork for the crime drama thriller film Before The Devil Knows You're Dead.

Devilish Deeds by Linh

Director Sidney Lumet's latest crime thriller borrows the name and theme from the Irish proverb "May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead." Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is one of Lumet’s best directorial work and Kelly Masterson's excellent script combines intricately woven plots and interlaced flashbacks with a brilliant cast who brings bravado and energy to characters with few redeeming qualities. The flashbacks are cleverly presented out of sequence and relates to a particular character; with each flashback labelled as before the robbery, the day of the robbery and days after the robbery.

Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead leaves the viewer breathless during some scenes and shocked during others, yet one never feels much sympathy for any of the characters. The opening scene shows Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei, who play husband and wife Andrew and Gina Hanson, naked and performing an explicit sex act. They seem an unlikely pair with the hint that their marriage is in shambles. This scene is only the first piece of the bewildering puzzle and just the beginning of Andrew Hanson’s problems.

Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman is wonderfully convincing as the flawed and desperate Andrew Hanson who is defrauding his company, addicted to drugs and devises a plan to commit a robbery with his younger brother Hank.

Ethan Hawke gives a strong performance as the soft-hearted and gutless wonder Hank Hanson who’s estranged from his wife and teenage daughter, has numerous debts to pay and unwittingly agrees to his brother’s robbery plan.

In a commanding yet understated portrayal of Charles Hanson, father of Andrew and Hank, Albert Finney is a stand out. Finney provides Charles with the simmering rage underneath the calm composure despite being hell bent on revenge, even when he discovers the identity of the one responsible for his wife’s death is closer to home.

Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead succeeds in bringing rivetting performances, compelling moments featuring murder, adultery, drugs and revenge to create a meticulously crafted masterpiece.

DEVIOUS DUO: Andrew Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank Hanson (Ethan Hawke) discover their Mother is in a coma in Before The Devil Knows You're Dead. Image: Will Hart, ThinkFilm.

Director: Sidney Lumet

Writers: Kelly Masterson (screenplay)

Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan, Rosemary Harris, Sarah Livingston, Aleksa Palladino

Producers: Michael Cerenzie, Brian Linse, William S. Gilmore, Paul Parmar, Hannah Leader, Jane Barclay, Sam Zaharis, Carol Cuddy, Belle Avery, Jeffery Melnick, Jeff G. Waxman, Eli Klein, David Bergstein, J. J. Hoffman, Guy Pham, Austin Chick

Cinematographer: Ron Fortunato (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composer: Carter Burwell

Film Editor: Tom Swartwout

Production: Christopher Nowak (Production Designer), Wing Lee (Art Director), Diane Lederman (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Tina Nigro

Running Time: 2 hours

Gone Baby Gone (2007); crime drama film review

Poster artwork for the crime drama film Gone Baby Gone.

 Searching For Morals by Linh

Ben Affleck makes an impressive directorial debut for his first major feature film, Gone Baby Gone, with his younger brother Casey Affleck in the lead role. Based on Dennis Lehane's novel, Gone Baby Gone sees private detective Patrick Kenzie and his partner Angie Gennaro investigate the disappearance of four year old Amanda McCready, with subplots including corruption in the police force, paedophilia, child molestation and drug abuse.

ON THE CASE: Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) reluctantly agrees to work alongside Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) in a scene from Gone Baby Gone. Image: Miramax Films.

Gone Baby Gone is an intense crime thriller which gradually develops into a display of character challenges and moral ambiguities in searching for the truth among lies in order to make the right choices.

As with previous Dennis Lehane's novels-to-film such as the Academy Award winning Mystic River, the script remains mostly unaltered and the screenplay from Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard stays true to the drama, characterisations and storylines.

Gone Baby Gone succeeds with Ben Affleck's astute directing skills and coupled with an intelligent screenplay and brilliant ensemble cast, the film is a quality hit. Set in Dorchester, a rough and tough suburb of Boston, the film has atmospheric character as well as a deeper and seedier underbelly of locals.

QUESTION TIME: Detectives Nick Poole (John Ashton), seated, and Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) interrogate Helene McCready (Amy Ryan) in Gone Baby Gone. Image: Miramax Films.

Casey Affleck stars as the young and inexperienced private detective Patrick Kenzie who finds the mystery of Amanda's disappearance is far more complex than he first thought. Patrick is faced with a series of moral issues when he finds out the truth surrounding Amanda's disappearance and the abduction of another young boy leaves him shocked and disgusted.
Affleck exudes the bravado, insight and curiosity to make Patrick Kenzie believable and watchable.

Amy Ryan has won numerous awards for her portrayal of the drug addicted mother, Helene McCready, in Gone Baby Gone, and was also nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar this year. Helene is a drug mule, drug addict and neglectful mother who cares more about alcohol and partying than for her daughter. Her irresponsible parenting is not disclosed to the media but the police and private detectives discover she is involved in her daughter's abduction. Amy Ryan is a standout as Helene McCready, and convincingly shines as a low life and low class woman who struggles to take care of herself let alone her daughter.

Michelle Monaghan has a pivotal role in the film as well as in the moral issues her partner Patrick Kenzie faces regarding Amanda's abduction. Monaghan's character Angie Gennaro, although childless, is the stark contrast to Amy Ryan's Helene, and shows more concern and regard for the child's safety and welfare than the mother. It's Angie who convinces Patrick to take on the case of Amanda's abduction after pleas from Amanda's aunt Bea (Amy Madigan) and Uncle Lionel (Titus Welliver) .

Ed Harris plays the charming yet sinister police detective Remy Bressant who is assigned the case of Amanda's disappearance along with Detective Nick Poole (John Ashton), and are unimpressed with Patrick and Angie's investigations. Remy strikes a deal with Patrick to work together on the case which leads to the awful truth of Amanda's abduction and the moral dilemmas that follow.
Harris cleverly displays 'good cop' persona in Detective Remy yet enables him to harbour a darker side, showing the ambiguity of human nature and the actions one takes to satisfy their greed and selfishness. There is some sympathy for Remy when we discover his involvement in Amanda's abduction, yet he is ultimately a 'good cop turned bad'.

Morgan Freeman is the Head of the Police Department, Jack Doyle, whose own child was abducted and murdered. Doyle has announced he'll make Amanda's case a priority and is putting his career on the line to ensure she is found and those responsible are brought to justice. Freeman is exceptional in his role that provides the crux of the film's moral ambiguity, whether doing the wrong things for the right reasons make it morally justified.

Madeline O'Brien plays the four year old abductee Amanda McCready, whose cute, pretty and blonde looks bears a striking resemblance to JonBenet Ramsey (murdered American toddler beauty queen) or Madeleine McCann (British girl abducted while her mother was out). Although she appears in only a few scenes, O'Brien is delightful to watch as she plays with her doll or happily sits with Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman).

Gone Baby Gone contains strong language, offensive behaviour, violence and horrific scenes, yet these do not detract from the intriguing drama and provocative performances from the cast. The ending would leave some audiences dissatisfied with the choices made for Amanda McCready, although it does remind us that we must learn to live with the choices we make in life.

DISCOVERY: Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck), Remy Bressant (Ed Harris), Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) and Nick Poole (John Ashton) search for Amanda in Gone Baby Gone. Image: Miramax Films.

Director: Ben Affleck

Writers: Ben Affleck (screenplay), Aaron Stockard (screenplay), Dennis Lehane (novel)

Cast: Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Michelle Monaghan, Amy Ryan, Amy Madigan, Titus Welliver, John Ashton, Madeline O'Brien, Edi Gathegi, Michael K. Williams

Producers: Ben Affleck, Sean Bailey, Chay Carter, David Crockett, Alan Ladd Jr., Amanda Lamb, Danton Rissner, Danton Rissner, Aaron Stockard

Original Music: Harry Gregson-Williams

Cinematography: John Toll (Director of Photography)

Film Editing: William Goldenberg

Production: Sharon Seymour (Production Designer), Chris Cornwell (Art Director), Kyra Friedman Curcio (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Alix Friedberg

Running time: 1 hour and 54 minutes