Plot

Review
The film sets a furious pace from the movie’s opening scenes as a frantic camera follows Miller and his team of soldiers as they race through hot, dusty streets trying to avoid sniper fire on their way to investigate a potential ‘weapons of mass destruction’ site.

Anyone who’s seen The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum movies will be familiar with director Paul Greengrass’s style of keeping the camera up close and personal so that it spins and whirls dizzyingly, even going out of focus in its attempt to keep up with the action. It’s an effective way of making the audience feel as though they’re in the thick of things, but on the big screen can also be a bit nauseating.

The pace doesn’t let up as Miller’s obstinate drive to get at the truth takes him deeper and deeper into the Green Zone and danger.

From the moment you meet Matt Damon’s soldier with integrity, Roy Miller, you automatically compare him to Jason Bourne. He’s smart, conscientious and committed to getting at the truth whatever the cost…and he’s not afraid to take on the big boys. There are a number of parallels with the Bourne movies and admittedly Roy Miller could be Jason Bourne before he was turned into the perfect fighting machine.
But where Green Zone differs is that Jason Bourne’s quest was in essence quite straightforward. Roy Miller’s isn’t. This is Iraq. There are no easy answers and who the good guys are and who the bad are isn’t necessarily quite as clear cut as it might at first seem.

The opening scenes supply a clue about the juxtaposition of the situation that Miller is facing as he watches chaotic looting, then discovers only ancient bird shit in a site where there are supposed to advanced weapons of mass destruction. His is a situation which, like the Middle East itself, doesn’t fit into easy categorisation. When you’re trying to makes sense out of the bedlam and the CIA are the source of the most sensible advice, you really know you’re heading up shit creek without the proverbial paddle.

Summary
Like the underrated Body of Lies starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, Green Zone is more than just a fast moving ride with more than its fair share of nervy, edge of the seat moments. It has a salient message about the cack-handed way the United States tends to bulldoze its way into countries whose cultures it doesn’t understand.

Green Zone is an exceptionally entertaining thriller, but it’s also one with great chunks of meat on its bones.

Sparkle Movie Rating: 8/10

However, when the cinema lights go down and you start popping Maltesers into your mouth like there’s no tomorrow, there’s one ingredient which gets the adrenalin pumping and raises expectation to explosive levels – and that’s a soundtrack which blows you away.

Here are five classics without which their movies would be as unthinkable as imagining Brad without Angelina or David without Victoria.

James Bond

Monty Norman’s score has me patting my DJ to check my imaginary Walther PPK is in place. It has done ever since I was knee high to a grasshopper, except then it was my nappy I was checking and not for a Walther PPK. As the familiar strains started to build in Casino Royale and Daniel Craig uttered those immortal words for his first time with a voice as sexily smooth as silk sliding across a golden thigh, the hair on the back of my neck stood up with an audible ‘ZING’.

Star Wars

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen the movies, when John William’s symphonic score booms out as big yellow letters disappear into the black infinity of space you’ve just got to plonk yourself down on the sofa, grab your lightsabre, and get ready to be thrilled by Luke, Han and Leia’s attempts to overthrow the Empire all over again.

Indiana Jones

It’s impossible to imagine Indy dodging boulders and poisonous darts or swapping blows with shaven headed Nazi heavies without John Williams’ Indiana Jones theme helping him to run that bit faster or adding more steel to his uppercuts. I can’t walk across a rickety bridge over a raging torrent in the jungle without humming the music and breaking into a run. Luckily it’s not a situation I find myself in every day otherwise by now I might be sporting a jacket which has arms that tie at the back.

The Bourne Trilogy

Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne reinvented our idea of a secret agent. Here was a man who could inflict as much damage with a rolled up newspaper as Bond could with any number of Q’s gadgets. It was only fitting that he was aided and abetted by a 21st century soundtrack. Composer John Powell obliged with the electronic equivalent of sinking a shot of tequila. The addition of Moby’s Extreme Ways reinforces the feeling that you’re enjoying the ride of your life in the company of the world’s second best secret agent.

Pirates of the Caribbean

As soon as I hear this theme I know I’m about to spend a couple of hours with the most lovable rogue of the decade, Cap’n Jack Sparrow. It might not be the most original piece of music ever, but who cares. It’s swashbuckling, jaunty fun and promises a damn good time even as it’s stealing the gold doubloons from your pocket. Tell me you don’t automatically smile when you hear it.