Green Zone Blu-Ray Disc Review

A few movies have come and gone about the Middle East since 9/11 like The Kingdom, Syriana, and Body of Lies.

Green Zone is based on the novel Imperial Life In The Emerald City. Green Zone refers to the safe area in Baghdad where American armed forces and ruthless corporations set up shop to bring about American democracy after the invasion. The peace, calm, and access to 'American style living' in the Green Zone is a juxtaposition to the utter chaos and bedlam just outside of the Green Zone which many Iraqis and soldiers were dealing with on a daily basis in the time the movie takes place and still do to varying extents today.

Matt Damon plays a soldier tasked with finding weapons of mass destruction after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but keeps coming up empty based on faulty intelligence. Hmmm, sound familiar?

Damon's character then goes on a quest to discover the truth about the faulty intelligence and exposing who is responsible for perpetrating a lie about one of the key motivations for the invasion of Iraq.

One critic called Green Zone thrilling and gripping and while it had great moments, I wasn't glued to my seat as you pretty much know what is coming and the movie becomes a chase movie in the second and third acts.

PICTURE:

Excellent transfer. Some scenes at night seemed to be deliberately grainy which didn't get on my nerves but might for others. Green Zone was directed by Paul Greengrass who directed Damon in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum and Greengrass again opted for a handheld approach to many of his shot choices which makes for some shaky camera work at times.

SOUND:

A 5.1 DTS Master Audio track has great levels between dialogue, gunshots, and explosions. As opposed to the DTS Master Audio track for Public Enemies, where the dialogue was low and the gunfire quite high. There is a scene where Damon goes to a prison where people of interest are being held and it is eerie when you hear prisoners moaning or complaining in the surround channels.

Overall, it was great movie, but I didn't feel a shiver or gripped to the edge of my seat.

PICTURE: 4.5 out of 5

SOUND: 5 out of 5

STORY: 3.5 out of 5