When Baghdad fell, and Saddam's statue was symbolically yanked down as the world gazed on, I speculated at the time that the Iraq War was all about oil and power and posturing in the Middle East.
After all, no weapons of mass destruction were ever found within the borders of the troubled Nation.
In fact, I theorized at the time, that the Intel was falsified to justify the night of "awe" and bootstrap Bush's bold-faced ploy to oust Saddam Hussein.
Through various sources, I was able to rustle up information on a number of curious clandestine events, which took place after-the-fact which lent credibility to my arguments.
For example, I was able to determine that one of the Hunt brothers (Ray L. Hunt) - who was later installed on President Bush's National Security Council - took an overseas trip on a Government jet to Northern Iraq to allegedly start up negotations for oil leases with warring tribes in the region.
Post: 11/13/07
http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2007/11/bush-cronyray-l-hunt-signs-secret-pact.html
In a nutshell, that is the basic plotline of Matt Damon's new flick - Green Zone - which was released this past week around the country.
Damon portrays a Chief Marshall in charge of - tracking, locating, and defusing - weapons of mass destruction (referred to here as WMD) based on Intel that has been reviewed and dispatched from headquarters for appropriate military action.
Like "Hurt Locker", the film wastes no time in getting down to the nitty-gritty in the dramatic opening scenes.
Immmediately, filmgoers are confronted with highly-charged explosive attacks on enemy camps in Iraq, which keep 'em rivetted on the edge of their seats.
The dialogue resonates, too; after all, the speculation about WMD and the U.S. Imperalist invasion of Iraq, at times appeared to be lifted from the nightly news.
Where were the weapons?
Damon's character (Chief Miller) - although a man of action - is not inclined to just carry out orders.
When the Intel doesn't pass the smell taste, he's ballsy enough to go beyond the perimeters of his specific mission, and try to make sense of the baffling intrigues that point to a conspiracy and bald-faced cover-up fabricated to hoodwink the American people.
Damon's acting is pretty darn good in this big-budget thriller; in fact, in the role of Miller the popular charistmatic actor rises to the occasion well and underscores that he's at the height of his creative powers.
The characterization he has fleshed out - is not only credible - but downright convincing.
In sum, the acting stint is an intelligent stand-out performance, that won't be long forgotten (by actors or critics, at least).
As to the elements that give thrust to the movie - the plotline, story devices, crafting of scenes - well, they're pretty much mainstream Hollywood.
Green Zone is entertaining, but nothing earth-shattering this late in the game.
3 stars!
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