The story is adding drama and killings that were a bit much. Otherwise, good acting and realistic scenes.

In 2003 at the time of the Iraqi invasion, speculators believed that this dangerous mission was a necessity as the military must finally terminate all the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that was once in the hands of Saddam Hussein. In 2010, it was discovered that Hussein wasn't hiding any WMD and the mission came out empty. It's unknown if the information that got to them was misconstrued, a failure or a lack of competence, the speculation was at an all0time high. In Paul Greengrass' "Green Zone", this gripping thriller emanates from Baghdad, Iraq takes us back in the early days of a Coalition invasion where the search for WMD goes underway. Based on Washington Post Baghdad correspondent Rajiv Chandrasekeran's novel, "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" and under the penmanship of screenwriter Brian Helgeland we have a brilliant fictional story with scenes that may ring some realism behind it.Chief warrant officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) is a a determined man going into more liberated Iraq in search for these WMD. His frustration worsens due to every location he searches come out empty. Bush Administrator Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear) believes that the WMD intelligence does exist and the source of information is from an incognito informant who goes by the name "Magellan". Meanwhile CIA Operative Martin Brown (Brendan Gleason) contradicts that there's no WMD and secretly informs Miller about it. An Iraqi named Frankie (Khalid Abdalla) reports to Miller that a Republican Guard name Al Rawi (Igal Naor) is on the scene. Both Brown and Poundstone want Al Rawi captured for contrasting reasons. As Miller's investigations get deeper he finds himself in an uncompromising position by being tracked down by fellow soldiers.Although a lots of scenes are based off of Rajiv's book it is not a recreation of it. It's purpose is just a backdrop of the scenes but "Green Zone" is completely different story. And while Rajiv freely gives accurate names and leaves nothing behind, Greengrass and Helgeland spruce up their movie with fake names and identities for fear of retribution. If you read Rajiv's book it appears Roy Miller is based off of Monty Gonzalez, Clark Poundstone is really Paul Bremmer and Wall Street Journal reporter Lawrie Dayne (Amy Ryan) is based on New York Times journalist Judith Miller.In the two hour duration, Greengrass lets the thrill ride takeoff and the intensity and energy never deters. In a nutshell, this is a pretty archaic story about an individual who's on a wild goose chase surrounded by corruption goes out of his way in to unravel the truth. And yes Miller is the protagonist and Poundstone and his sycophants are the antagonists, there's still a plethora of grey areas that come around.The handling of the camera shots during the action scenes are purely satisfying with the in-your-face approach you feel like you're in the middle of the action. The movie camera and the fast-editing can make this film feels like another rehash of the Bourne films Greengrass and Damon have done over the years, with the only difference is that visual indicators has a more coherent approach to it. The visuals are relatively stunning and the score by John Powell adds the ambiance towards the scenes to make it all the more scintillating.Damon famous for his man-on-the-run films (like Bourne) was the right choice for this role and never once does he feel disconnected. Though clichéd, his clean-cut approach is convincing that he was the right choice to play the good guy. Greg Kinnear breaks type-cast here with in role as a corrupt man who's idealism gets the better of him. Brendan Gleason plays a rare creature in the movie industry, an honest CIA operative. Even Khalid Abdalla who was an evil hijacker in "United 93" plays a more sympathetic translator to Mr. Miller who's in the middle of choosing loyalties.What makes "Green Zone" stand out is the way it balances fact and fiction quite proportionately. And even though it seems like it plays out harshly towards the Bush administration, it's quite the misnomer. It's a fictional thriller striving to see how far one will go to see if WMD truly exist. If you're both a fan of political thrillers and fast-paced action films, you're all in for a real treat.

United 93 director Paul Greengrass explores the aftermath of the Iraq invasion in this feature adaptation of author Rajiv Chandrasekaran's literary exposé Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone. A onetime Baghdad bureau chief of the Washington Post, Chandrasekaran was present as American forces attempted to set up a provisional government on the grounds surrounding former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's opulent palace. The resulting governing body, according to critics, existed in a bubble so far-removed from the grim realities of the Iraq War that it failed to properly assess the needs of the people. In this fictional thriller set during the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad, director Greengrass and screenwriter Brian Helgeland use Chandrasekaran's journalistic account as the foundation for the story of an officer who joins forces with a senior CIA officer to unearth evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) is certain that Hussein has been stockpiling WMDs in the Iraqi desert, but in their race from one empty site to the next, they soon stumble across evidence of an elaborate cover up. As a result, Miller realizes that operatives on both sides of the conflict are attempting to spin the story in their favor. Now, as Miller searches for answers made ever more elusive by covert and faulty intelligence, the truth becomes the most valuable weapon of all. Will those answers prove pivotal in clearing a rogue regime, or escalate the war in a region that grows increasingly unstable with each passing day? Amy Ryan co-stars as the New York Times foreign correspondent who travels to Iraq investigating the U.S. government's allegations about weapons of mass destruction, with Greg Kinnear appearing in the role of an additional CIA officer, and Antoni Corone essaying the role of a colonel.

(55%) A simply plotted early days of the Iraq war movie that doesn't dig too deep into politics and media edited history unlike the rather tiresome "Zero dark thirty", but rather tells its story in a much more manageable and believable manner. I don't really care much for Greengrass' style of direction, and I never have, as it can detract from whatever's going on which for me is a big no-no, but here it's not overly distracting. And with the plot being pretty basic to say the least the action is allowed to just get on with it, resulting in some quite exciting moments set around a realistic setting. Overall not a bad little movie by any means, just not something I'd want to pay money to watch.