Green Zone

NOT ‘Bourne goes Epic’

Lover: Taken from IMDB
“I thought this movie was just another typical Iraqi War Based movie where the Americans(both leaders&Soldiers) are the good guys and Iraqi people are the bad asses to be kicked............But it turned out to be the only movie that has brought to light negatives and positives of both the sides(US and Iraq)........Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon kicked the hell out of the old stereotyped movies of heroes vs villains, to bring in a new genre of inside heroes vs inside villains..........The plot of the movie is really believable and the cast did a great job..........the action sequences and the areas were quite convincing..........The last line of freddy "It is not for you to decide what we do here" is an excellent one and it turns the whole perspective around.............WMD was a hoax to obtain oil,remove Saddam............Whatever it might be the movies like these bring in some light to the portions where people are made to know what they should know........This is the only film I have given 10/10 ratings among the Iraq War movies........I definitely think it is above the standards of Hurt Locker or any other movie in this genre..........Hats off to the Greengrass-Damon team for providing 3 most memorable movies.............”

It is a bit of a stretch saying that Paul Greengrass has brought in a ‘new genre’, The team of Grengass and Damon may have brought us the brilliant 2nd and 3rd Bourne films but Green Zone is nowhere near that quality.

Hater: Taken from IMDB
“...by this film. After all, Matt Damon is a well-known radical leftist, He is certainly not going to do a film that promotes the U.S. plot about looking for supposedly non-existent WMDs is right out of a Pelosi/Reid/Hollyweird dream. Of course it ignores the WMDs that were found and fabricates a whole "what-if" scenario that aims only to pull down former president George Bush and paint our reason for liberating Iraq with a long streak of yellow paint. As to the acting, Kinnear was good. He has been a pleasant surprise over the years with his best being in "We Were Soldiers". Unless you are a leftist conspiracy person, I seriously doubt that you will appreciate this movie.”

Saying that you disagree with the obvious political standpoint of the film should not mean you didn’t like it. Green Zone was always going to be a provocative film for the issue of WMD’s but I think it’s worth pointing out this reviews obvious political standing.

What I thought:
The Posters told you this was ‘Bourne goes epic’, this is a horribly misleading comment as it’s nothing like Bourne. Miller is nothing like Jason Bourne, this military man more a grunt than Special Forces, who fights with far less proficiency. It’s also much more political than you think; a lot of the running time is spent giving you several different sides of the issue. Whether that’s by giving you the US soldiers POV, the press and The Iraqi’s it’s more interested in playing Devil’s Advocate than it is entertaining you.

The biggest problem with this film is false expectations; don’t watch this film expecting Bourne. You won’t get Bourne and you’ll wonder why this film is trying to tell you all about the scandal surrounding the reason we went to war. It does however do that quite well, it supplies multiple angles on the problem and does them in a clear and not to badly acted way. It’s all just a bit too much for the running time and when you’ve read enough of the press about this you may feel you already know too much. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that if you’re going to use a moment in history, one that is already quite well documented and debated, you will need to do more than just lay out all the facts and hope the action falls into place. Shame really because the Bourne films really are brilliant!

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A fulfilling jouney (if your not a sheep)

Lovers: Taken from IMDB
“This is the first 10 out of 10 that I've given any movie. What made this movie so good for me? Constant action - there isn't any slow parts, great acting, smart writing. I also liked the filming style where the shakiness and different angles just made it feel like you are a part of the scene. Finally, I get to see an action movie that doesn't try to please all sectors of the public (i.e. there's no forced romance).

I liked the first two Bourne movies, but I loved this one.

Warning - after watching this movie, you will be full of adrenaline and you may want to calm down a bit before driving your car!”

I love the movie, almost as mush as this guy, I’m happy he likes the shaky cam and for pretty much the same reason as me.

Haters: Taken from IMDB
“The Bourne Ultimatum is the worse of the franchise. It is a shame that Ludlum's last Bourne novel has been transformed to a motion picture that has as much clarity as a bug being squished on a cars windshield. The plot is perhaps the thinnest of any of the Bourne movies, and the audience is at best bored with the whole experience. But the most annoying, madding, is the cinematography by Wood, is like a film being filmed by the Road Runner on Crack, jumpy, blurry, and headache inducing. The film may have been worth viewing, if the audience could see what was going on. But with the shaky cam of this debacle being bad enough, but even the action scenes were filmed way to close in for anyone to follow what was going on in this picture. See this if you must, but bring your aspirin.”

To be fair to this guy there is a much worse review on their and it is very scathing but I don’t want to go there with people so opinionated they cant see past their own nose! Once again it’s the same old complaint about the camera work, which is all very well but only a problem if its your problem.

What I thought:
The Bourne Ultimatum for me is about two scenes, each scene is so tense I was biting my tongue and proves what a craftsmen Paul Greengrass is with action. The first Waterloo station, bustling in all its glory and utterly convincing in the way it is shown. It’s just a shame the brilliant Paddy Considine couldn’t be in it longer. The other scene is the fight in flat then in a small shower / bathroom thing; its nail biting and you really feel the pain. Gritty and real once again showing bond a thing or two.

I’ll add a link to the really bad review and let you make up your minds for yourself; personally I think it’s a load of old crap! I’m sure the usual cinema public don’t like be perceived as sheep but there you go.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0440963/usercomments?filter=hate

Shaky-cam a go go

Lovers: Taken from IMDB
“The Bourne Supremacy is the sequel to the successful Bourne Identity spy thriller. This movie, directed by a new director, is given a different yet extremely exciting feel to it. The casting is still great, with Matt Damon bringing a deadpan portrayal to the Bourne character. Hes very good in this role, which commits a great success to the whole of the movie. Supporting players Brian Cox and Julia Styles, along with newcomer Joan Allen, all provide stellar support for Bourne. The action is intense and really well done, and the plot is thrilling and will surprise you quite a bit. The camera-work is extremely fast paced, and overall it has a gritty, captivating style. With all of these elements together, you got one great action thriller that in many cases even surpasses Identity! Movies like this are hard to come by, in todays times with many action pictures that just don't work and become tedious. Ill give this near perfect- *** and 1/2 outs 4 Star's- definitely see The Bourne Identity before this- don't fret: you will be very entertained. “

I agree with this review on several counts, Paul Greengrass brings his kinetic camera work to the Bourne trilogy and it is utterly brilliant! The supporting cast get stronger roles than they had before and makes for a more intriguing story. The action is intense and nail biting and it does surpass identity!

Haters: Taken from IMDB
“I watched the Bourne Identity on DVD the night before going to the cinema to see this. I looked forward to it but...

Twenty minutes after the start I had to leave the cinema. I felt very ill and it wasn't the curry we ate earlier. I am sometimes a bit sensitive to hand-held camera shots but this was aweful. EVERY frame was jumpy - and it wasn't the guy in the projection room dancing.

My teenage son went with his mates to another cinema the same evening and had similar problems - though he stuck it out to the end with his eyes closed several times.

By the way: my son and I watched Matrix Revolutions from the fourth row ona big screen. We had no probs with that.

Producers please don't do this again.”

Well now, almost every bad review about this Bourne entry is about the camera work. I think it’s fair enough maybe that kind of movement isn’t for everyone but I don’t think its right to damn a film to the point of telling people not to see it. Like I said its not for everyone, that means that some people will not only be more than happy to watch it but enjoy it more. I personally feel it captures the fighting and the action brilliantly. This is a review for someone who went to see Matrix Revolutions four times!! What does that tell you?

What I thought:
I loved this Bourne film, I thought that the new direction it had been taken was perfect and only built upon what had been established in the first film. It’s a nail biting thriller that does keep you on the edge of your seat and a great film to revisit.

Bond with a conscious

Lovers: taken from IMDB
“Always seen the books but never read them - now I will. This is a great cloak and dagger spy story that really works in this format. Matt Damon is not the perfect Jason Bourne, as he just seems a bit 'young' to forfill the role of bond like super-spy. However is acting skills are classy enough that he carries it off well. The story is very fluid and the action is well-paced. Easy to follow and yet never boring, it really shows how a great story is the best place to start with a movie. Done in a very tasteful manner that makes it believable and engaging. I consider myself a 'fussy' movie viewer, but this really was entertaining, even the second and third times!”

I agree I like the bourne movies overall, though I do have a problem with this review. He mentions that he has never read the books then goes on to say how Matt Damon is not the perfect Jason Bourne?

Haters: again taken from IMDB
“I figured this was a can't miss movie. Doug Liman is a great director and it seemed like the cast was pretty strong. However, what a standard, paint by the numbers, average at best, spy thriller. Do we really have to wait two hours for the happy ending that we all know is coming in the end? The scenes of Europe were nice, but hardly enough. Added to the problems of this movie is the fact that Matt Damon is just not that strong of actor, he seems to be void of any real charisma. The guy is plastic and unless you are a 14 year old girl, not worthy of your time. In this movie we get to see him kind of interact with a romantic interest, however it is tacked on and less than steamy. Talk about going through the motions. The bad guys have no redeeming qualities, the good guy is a saint, yata yata. What shocked me was why this movie was getting such high marks, it was "Ronin" without the action. Once again, mediocrity is praised as good and good is praised as great. Well, this movie was not great or even that good. Sadly lacking”

Well now a rather harsh review here I think, what’s so wrong with a happy ending? Despite being predictable I felt like our hero deserved some emotional payback. The scenes of Europe; the whole film was in Europe!? Now we come to the problem of acting, Matt Damon I think does really well in this film; he is not playing Bond and does not need charisma. He showed confusion, guilt and vulnerability; a bond with a conscious if you will. I wouldn’t really say there were any romance in it, just one love scene if you can call it that and a rather sickly sweet ending.

What I thought:
The Bourne Identity is like an origin movie in reverse and like any origin story it suffers from having to set up our characters motives. Most of the time you just want to see your main character hit the ground running, saying that Identity is a great film just not as good as what Paul Greengrass does with the trilogy. Identity is a great action movie with hold your breath moments and cool characters and it single handily dragged Bond into the 21st Century!