Green Zone (2010)
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A US Army officer searching for weapons of mass destruction discovers that the intelligence guiding his mission is a web of lies.
The story
On March 19, 2003, Iraqi Army General Mohammed Al-Rawi flees his residence amid the bombardment of Baghdad, leaving a notebook for his aide. Four weeks later, US Army Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his platoon check a warehouse for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD). After finding the warehouse empty for the third consecutive time, Miller realizes the majority of the intel provided to him is inaccurate and anonymous. His efforts to uncover the truth are blocked by US Department of Defense official Clark Poundstone. Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal reporter questions Poundstone about the existence of WMDs.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, US Army Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller discovers that the intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is largely fabricated. While searching sites, Miller meets an Iraqi named Freddy, who reveals that General Mohammed Al-Rawi is hiding in Baghdad. Miller raids a house, capturing Al-Rawi's aide, Seyyed, and seizing Al-Rawi's notebook. After interrogating Seyyed, Miller learns that Al-Rawi met with officials in Jordan to confirm there were no WMDs. Miller realizes that Department of Defense official Clark Poundstone is hunting Al-Rawi because he is a liability who knows the truth. Miller is eventually abducted by Al-Rawi's men. Al-Rawi explains that Poundstone reported Al-Rawi had confirmed WMDs to justify the invasion. During a confrontation, Freddy shoots Al-Rawi, telling Miller it is not for him to decide what happens. Miller later confronts Poundstone with a scathing report, which Poundstone dismisses. Finally, Miller emails his report to a wide list of global news agencies.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States; France; Spain
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul Greengrass
- Writers
- Brian Helgeland · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matt Damon · Roy Miller; Greg Kinnear · Clark Poundstone; Brendan Gleeson · Martin Brown; Amy Ryan · Lawrie Dayne; Khalid Abdalla · Freddy; Jason Isaacs · Major Briggs; Yigal Naor · General Mohammed Al-Rawi
- Genres
- action; thriller; war
- Themes
- mistrust of authority; government deception; media culpability; war consequences
- Tone and mood
- propulsive; visceral; thrilling; morally complex
- Premise and plot tags
- based on non-fiction; political thriller; war drama; conspiracy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office failure, grossing $95 million against a budget of $100 million.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 53% · review count: 186; Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Awards and nominations
- Visual Effects Society Award · Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture · lost
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a non-fiction book documenting life in the Green Zone.; The character of Roy Miller was loosely based on real-life Army Chief Warrant Officer Richard "Monty" Gonzales.; The character of Lawrie Dayne is noted by reviewers as being based on former New York Times reporter Judith Miller.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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