MovieChat Forums > Green Zone (2010) Discussion > i didnt see the point of this movie.

i didnt see the point of this movie.

posted 12 years ago by tom-734-767470
7 replies | jump to latest

It was good, but seemed to have no message and never felt to me as if it was building up to anything- more that it was just a random slice of action and conspiracy.

[–] nymichael2002 12 years ago

It showcased how the whole WMD theory was just an excuse to invade Iraq. Decent film but it had nothing to do with the book it was based on which is a good read.

[–] mooncalled2 12 years ago

It was good, but seemed to have no message and never felt to me as if it was building up to anything- more that it was just a random slice of action and conspiracy.

"Green Zone" is based upon the novel "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekarn and documented life within the Green Zone in Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Irag. Military investigators 'were' searching the city of Baghdad in 2003 for WMDs, which is why the White House said we went to war. That is a fact documented in both liberal 'and' conservative media archives.

Paul Greengrass wrote the script loosely based upon Rajiv Chandrasekarn's novel and directed the film.

The movie seemed a bit 'dated' because Universal sat the film on a shelf for nearly three years (they began pre-production over the summer of 2007 and the film was completed in 2008), using it as leverage to force Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass into making a 4th "Bourne" film.

[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

Just about all good except that "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" is not a novel and in fact has won a number of non-fiction book awards.

I'm not sure why you'd think the movie is dated. Yes, it did sit on the shelf for awhile, but the fictional story it's telling is set in 2003.

[–] mooncalled2 11 years ago

"Just about all good except that "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" is not a novel and in fact has won a number of non-fiction book awards."

(Blinks) Are non-fiction books not also called novels?? Really???

"Green Zone" was based upon the novel "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone" by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, who was an assistant managing editor of the Washington Post when the book was published in 2006. It was based upon his observations as the Washington Post's Bureau Chief in Baghdad from April 2003 - October 2004, covering the weapons-inspections process (which is what the Chief Warrant Officer played by Matt Damon did in the film), build-up to the conflict, and the American occupation.

Here is an interview conducted on September 18, 2006 with Mr. Chandrasekaran and the Washington Post about his novel and 'his' view that America missed an opportunity at the beginning of the conflict in Iraq:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/08/28/DI2 006082800508.html

[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

(Blinks) Are non-fiction books not also called novels?? Really???

That's right. They're not. Novels are fictional books as I remember learning in primary school. The above book you mention is non-fiction as I've already advised and therefore not a novel.

You learn something every day as my nana always used to say.

[–] awdracer 10 years ago

Yes, she certainly learned something, but doesn't reply after realizing that she was wrong. Typical.

I really feel like this movie failed due to the American ego being shattered. Everyone (the public, the troops) thought that this war would be about liberation of the people and to react (though not necessarily revenge) to the 9/11 attacks.

Iraq wasn't the reason why the terrorist attacks happened - and there was no WMD found. The fact that it (the WMD) 'may' be out there isn't strong enough of a reason to invade a country, regardless if it deserved it or not. It was a pretense.

It's been said that North Korea 'may' have WMD (nuclear weapons). And so do the rest of the UN countries (US/India/China, etc etc). Are we going to invade all these countries? India/Pakistan have been hostile to each for years, yet BOTH have WMD. Let's go invade Syria! That will show the terrorists! (spoiler: Syria is in a civil war also).

I can't say that I know what the truth is, but I suspect that the 'truth' is a lot more chilling than what the public and the government wants to admit.

Let's face it, the war was a failure. Ten years after occupation, there's been a civil war and a full-scale retreat. The country is in worse shape than before the invasion. And so was the US economy.

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

It's rare that a film that has sat on the shelves for awhile, ends up as a raging success, but yeah, I liked this film. It caught the cynicism and despair of those fighting for a cause they find to be hollow and empty, just like the silos and warehouses supposedly housing the non-existent WMD.🐭