Posted on 03/13/2010 6:15:08 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
While "The Hurt Locker" was largely apolitical in its stance on the Iraq War, some say "The Green Zone" goes too far in blaming the United States government and manipulates audience members into rooting against American troops.
The movie centers on Army Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, played by Damon, who is assigned to search for weapons of mass destruction in the weeks following the shock-and-awe campaign of 2003.
When Miller encounters roadblocks in his search, he launches a one-man internal investigation into the United States government's intelligence gathering operations, forming a secret alliance against the men he is sworn to protect in order to get the bottom of what he believes is a conspiracy.
Given this set-up, audiences are encouraged to root for Miller's rogue activities and against the government, represented in the film by a corrupt Pentagon chief played by Greg Kinnear.
The line between good guy and bad guy becomes fuzzy -- so much so that audiences are unsure whether to cheer on Sunni Iraqi insurgents as they shoot down a helicopter filled with American soldiers sent to assassinate them on the Pentagon's request.
Movie reviewer Kyle Smith went so far as to label the film "slander" and "appallingly anti-American."
"'Green Zone' isn't cinema," Smith wrote. "It's slander. It will go down in history as one of the most egregiously anti-American movies ever released by a major studio."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I realized Maaaaaatt Daaaaamon was a tool after watching him in Good Will Hunting. He was “debating” with Robin Williams about who was better, Zinn or Chomsky. Knowing he wrote the movie said it all about him and Affleck.
then see my post #38 - and watch for probably the only REAL war movie you'll ever see...and the "STARS" are the actual troops - no Hollywood involved, no politics, no brass - no SPIN.
One of my FAVORITE scenes in ANY movie, is the final scene with Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg in : “The Departed”.
The real Tuohy family with Michael Oher. Sandra Bullock played Leigh Anne Tuohy.
What happened in the final scene of The Departed?
Spot-on!
Great analysis! I never thought I’d see Paul reubems and Von Ryan’s Express mentioned in the same discussion. :)
I will admit, me likey Julia Styles, so I might have to watch a few clips of the Bourne pics on Youtube.
ping
Thank you, FRiend.
*Ping
You’re welcome!
Well that explains Roger Ebert's slobbering approval.
Amazing family. More Americans should follow their lead. It’s about caring for our children (not just our birth children).
Of course it’s anti-American. Paul Greengrass hates Joseph Stalin because Stalin was too conservative. And don’t expect Matt Damon to have anything good to say about the U.S.
In short, I watch their drivel for the same reasons I “listened” to Soviet Red Army commo when I was in the Army - because I want to be aware of what the sneaky little Communist bastards are up to, and because I loathe Communists. i.e., I can't know what they're are all about unless I'm informed, and they can't infect me because I'm immune to their twisted ideology.
I generally watch even the most controversial leftist movies so I that if I must, I can at least make relatively informed commentary about it. My ten buck isn't going to make a difference.
That said, I watched it in the busiest theater in central Bucks County PA, where one can usually expect a a pretty full theater on opening night of almost any “big name" actor's movie (the “Bourne” movies were packed). This “megaplex” theater showed Green Zone in their largest auditorium, and at the 7:20 showing I doubt there were 80 people present.
From a technical perspective, it was a very well rendered production. There was great balance between sweeping scenes of Baghdad and gritty late-night tactical ops in the slums. I felt it was very well produced.
It also did a great job of inducing the essential “intercharacter tensions” (sorry, I don't know the correct term for it, so I made one up) between the antagonist/protagonist and the supporting characters that make a good story engaging.
But, in the real world (if such can even be said of cinema), all of the technical proficiency, great cinematography, and even some pretty decent acting (especially by the Iraqi “3rd character”) simply don't carry this flawed storyline.
It's just damned hard to get a theater full of Americans to believe that the actions of an American Army Officer (OK Warrant Officer) essentially getting a Blackhawk full of SF troopers and their Commander killed is something to applaud. No matter how bad the earlier tension building scenes make them look, they are still fellow Americans. BTW, they were not not “hunting” CWO Miller and his soldiers in order to execute them. They were hunting a particularly bloodthirsty Iraqi General, with a price on his head (the “10 of Clubs”) whom Miller was also trying to find for his own little crusade.
At any rate, Green Zone is unfortunately based on the same old tired leftist meme that America is always wrong, and the flawed premise that “there were no WMD in Iraq”, and tries to establish in the public’s mind (once again) that a bunch of craven Pentagon bureaucrats made the whole thing up just so they could invade Iraq. Gee, where have we heard that before?
If anyone thinks CWO Miller comes off as a hero for his actions (which result in the deaths of several US soldiers and friendly Iraqi nationals), their values are skewed to the extreme left. But that's the audience Damon’s shooting for anyway. Hell, they're probably telling him how “brave” he is right now. In their self-congratulatory little bubble world, he'll probably get an Oscar for Best Impersonation of an American “Patriot”.
Among the comments I heard at the end of the movie were” “what bullshit”, “good God!”, “That sucked” and my personal favorite “Well, I can't unwatch that shit”.
A bad story, even when well executed, is still just a bad story. Green Zone is nothing more than a gold-plated turd.
I haven’t seen that, but I will as soon as it hits Redbox, LOL.
Coincidentally, my parents recently bought a Chihuahua puppy who was born with only one eye (she’s a doll and a sweet puppy). Her name is Tuohy, in reference to the movie’s title. They were going to change it after they brought her home, but they just couldn’t bring themselves to! Did I mention they also brought home her sister (named Sassy), and a male from a different breeder they call Oreo.
My mom’s going to be the crazy dog lady instead of the crazy cat lady! LOL They lost their beloved 17 y.o. Chihuahua back in September and couldn’t stand being without a dog.
Thanks for the heads up...hubby “visits” that A.O. on a regualr basis from down south of there.
Those comments are good to hear. You'll have to pass the word along in e-mail or Facebook what you thought of the movie.
How's she doing with one eye?
I’m thinking this turd will tank just like the rest of the anti-military, anti-American crap Hollywood has tried to peddle in the last few years.
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