This weekend, I dove right into the movies. There are a couple of flicks to see and I did not want to waste a moment.
SYNOPSIS: Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his team are charged with finding weapons of mass destruction in and around 1993 Baghdad at the start of the Iraqi War. As his searches come up empty, he becomes fed up with faulty intelligence and becomes embroiled in uncovering the source of the bad intel. On the way, he uncovers much more.
Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon team up again to bring us the opening days of the Iraqi War, the search for WMDs and the division of government as to how to run an effective war. Based on the book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone", the film gives us the insider's view of the start of the war, without the glamour and spin of the press.
Although not Stallone or Willis, Damon has become the most reliable dramatic action star. Partnering with "Bourne" director Paul Greengrass on this project, Matt delivers another solid performance. He brings a naivety and power to the role that endears you to his character and the story. As Roy Miller, he conveys what the American public feels about the war.
Paul Greengrass brings his kinetic camera work and style to the script and brings out all of the grainy and raw details. Ramping up what he did with "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum", Greengrass uses the same hand-held camera work and adds new elements strategically, low-light and night-vision. It gives even more authenticity to the film.
Greg Kinnear comes out of his do-gooder roles and provides a perpetual scowl as the bureaucratic Clark Poundstone, trying to run both an effective war and an effective media campaign for the support by the American people. Of course, every bureaucrat needs another government foil to run interference. In this case it is Brendan Gleeson as CIA Middle East operative Martin Brown whose 30 years of experience in the region is ignored as irrelevant and dated. And as an added bonus, we get a chance to see Jason Isaacs of "Harry Potter" and "Black Hawk Down" fame with his impeccable American accent as Poundstone's go to Ranger hunting down Miller before he exposes the truths meant to be left buried.
The story is fast paced and enveloping, keeping you captivated as to how the lone Chief Roy Miller can unravel why there are no Weapons of Mass Destructions to be found, who the source Magellan is and why the information is faulty, and why all of the government agencies and the press are after Magellan, but for different reasons. If you are a fan of "The Kingdom" and "Black Hawk Down", this film is a nice addition to your list.
Worth: Matinee or DVD
Worth: Matinee or DVD
No comments:
Post a Comment