The Green Zone (2010)

Oh, no. Not again.

A few months ago I watched director Sydney Pollack's last film, The Interpreter, and was stunned with how badly the film ended. I noted how long it had been, mercifully, since I'd seen a movie fall apart so badly in the last few minutes. Up until the silly ending, The Interpreter wasn't half bad.

Green Zone is an even better movie for most of its running length, but here's another movie with another jaw-dropping finale. Folks, ending like these are frustrating given the previous entertainment value.

Here, Matt Damon is Chief Warrant Officer Miller. His job is to find the expected weapons of mass destruction in Iraq following the American government's overthrow of Saddam Hussein. But each time his men secure a site, they find nothing. Miller is dubious of the quality of intelligence being supplied to the American forces. Military brass don't take kindly to his suggestions that something isn't right.

This soldier is very idealistic. He wants to find the weapons that could kill many. Miller is being shut out from the work he's trying to do. He finds an ally in a CIA agent, Martin Brown (Brendan Gleeson), who is also skeptical of what the American army is suggesting re: WMD. American government official Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear), warns Miller not to ask too many questions.

So, we have the American government pulling one way for what it wants to see happen in Iraq with the CIA warning if Uncle Sam doesn't make nice with former Hussein military leader Al Rawi (Igal Naor), Iraq will slip further into chaos.

Damon is fine as the no-nonsense Miller. Gleeson and Kinnear offer solid support work. The action scenes are taut.

But the ending, yikes. The moralizing from Miller about America losing potential help in the future, too much. Miller's actions at the film's end, hard to believe.

Green Zone quickly goes from half-decent to pretty lousy. Too bad.

RATING: 5/10

FUN FACTS: The Green Zone is directed by Paul Greengrass, who directed Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bourne Supremacy.