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GREEN ZONEMovie Reviews
War drama based on the book of the same name, about an officer who discovers an elaborate cover up while searching for evidence to sanction the war in Iraq. Cast:Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Amy Ryan, Khalid AbdallaDirector:Paul GreengrassRelease Date:March 12, 2010DVD Release:June 22, 2010From:UniversalRating:RLength:1 hr 55 min
Green Zone played to good reviews. • Ann Hornaday wrote in the Washington Post, "...a jangly, noisy, compulsively restless thriller... there's no denying the propulsive energy..." • And Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "It's my belief that the nature of the neocon evildoing has by now become pretty clear. Others will disagree. The bottom line is: This is one hell of a thriller." More Reviews Below...
Green Zone Positive Reviews (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: VERY GOOD "...has a fullness of character, a density of detail, a cunning mystery plot and so much stuff blowing up that audiences might not realize they're seeing an Iraq-war film."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 841 words, 03/12/10
David Germain, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...a visual and visceral knockout that's utterly deflated by a story as common, coarse and unappetizing as Army field rations.... tired, standard action fare..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 687 words, 03/11/10
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...confusingly weaves fact and fiction and whipsaws between various conspiracy theories, while the nonstop action mimics an Xbox splatter game."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 77 words, 03/11/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Greengrass' in-your-face style is mostly an asset, with the hand-held camera shots ratcheting up the urgency and amplifying the sense of chaos that blossoms in firefights."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 03/10/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "Nothing wrong with an ace action thriller.... even in this Bourne Zone, Damon and Greengrass haven't shirked their duty to enlighten and entertain."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 03/05/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...unrelenting, but flawed... takes a complex and important story and renders it facile. Characters are etched too clearly in black and white."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 03/12/10
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "It's my belief that the nature of the neocon evildoing has by now become pretty clear. Others will disagree. The bottom line is: This is one hell of a thriller."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 03/11/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (15 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...epitomizes the ability of mainstream commercial cinema to streamline the complexities of the real world without becoming overly simplistic, to fictionalize without falsifying."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,386 words, 03/12/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...intelligent, tough and gripping.... has a compelling visceral punch, and a sly way of dealing with absurdities... The cast is strong..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 03/12/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...it's hard to argue with a film that insists 'the reasons we go to war always matter.' Can one man make a difference? this film asks."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 920 words, 03/12/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...simplified, thriller-friendly material.... partly real and partly, increasingly, fantastic and outlandish in its wishful thinking."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 523 words, 03/12/10
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "A surprisingly pointed political thriller, though the suspense is blunted by rehashing old headlines.... the film is at cross-purposes with itself."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 03/12/10
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: MODERATE "...a slam-bam piece of muckraking... But it's also rather tawdry. Damon's credible, low-key acting that keeps the final twist from seeming as preposterous as it is."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 493 words, 03/08/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "It's my belief that the nature of the neocon evildoing has by now become pretty clear. Others will disagree. The bottom line is: This is one hell of a thriller."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 03/11/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "Greengrass is the best action director working today... the movie is nonstop havoc.... works mainly because of the hardworking, always-believable Damon."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 03/10/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "Damon acquits himself beautifully as Miller, convincingly playing a righteous Army renegade - he seems to have lowered his voice an octave to punch home his words."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 904 words, 03/12/10
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...a truly bizarre mash-up of real history and political thriller.... tries to tap into outrage about the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 for commercial movie thrills."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 03/12/10
Cary Darling, Orange County Register: FAIR(cg) "...sadly, the film adds up to something less than its many constantly moving parts.... arresting but often heavy-handed, dumbed-down..."(See all of Cary Darling's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 03/12/10
Josep Parera, La Opinion: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...durante los dos primeros actos, el largometraje crea una distancia emocional con la audiencia, que surge precisamente de la previsibilidad de los acontecimientos..."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 03/12/10
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...director Paul Greengrass pursues his fast, fragmented, pseudo-realistic approach to action and dialogue. The result is an entertaining, forgettable time-waster."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 03/11/10
KEY CITIES (17 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a jangly, noisy, compulsively restless thriller on a par with the 'Bourne' movies, shot through with political critique.... there's no denying the propulsive energy..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 551 words, 03/12/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "There's gripping, suspenseful stuff here, as Miller and his squad abandon the WMD hunt to chase down pro-Saddam conspirators..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 03/12/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Greengrass and Helgeland manage to squeeze out a convincing narrative, one that's gripping and suspenseful and keeps us worrying about Damon..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 03/12/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "Greengrass loses the central metaphor, the bizarre alternate reality the political hacks were living under in their guarded enclave, the chaos outside the Emerald City's walls."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/12/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the film does a fair job of summing up the cooked intelligence reports, credulous newsgathering and facts-be-damned official certitude that triggered our longest war."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 03/12/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the acting is uniformly good. To pretend that the film doesn't make a political statement is silly. Of course it does. It wouldn't be effective at all if it didn't."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 656 words, 03/12/10
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a Paul Greengrass movie, which means lots of breathless action... remarkable in its nerve to take on very recent history with a harshly critical eye."(See all of Chris Vognar's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 639 words, 03/12/10
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...begins exceedingly well. Then it's fasten your seat belts, swallow your Dramamine as the camera darts, sways, pans and tilts..."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 638 words, 03/12/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a restlessness keeps the movie both unsettled and uninteresting.... moves too fast to think and its political ideas have been pre-argued to death."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 929 words, 03/12/10
John Hartl, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the movie can be a frustrating experience. It refuses to get specific and name names... The result is a slightly above-average wartime thriller..."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 417 words, 03/12/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...somehow all the noise and clamor and sweat in this film don't engage, perhaps because the endgame is -- as we all know in advance -- deflating and not explosive."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 03/12/10
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Some moviegoers may prefer not to be reminded of the origins of the war; others may respond with a shrug.... both thoughtful and entertaining -- a rare combination."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 317 words, 03/12/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "Heaven knows there's plenty of action and intrigue to be had here. But director Paul Greengrass ('The Bourne Ultimatum,' 'United 93') has a lot more on his mind."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 722 words, 03/12/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "Greengrass is the best action director working today... the movie is nonstop havoc.... works mainly because of the hardworking, always-believable Damon."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 03/10/10
Shaula Clark, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a frenetic trip down memory lane... Despite the narrative whiplash... an engrossing (if fictionalized) answer to the question 'How did we get here, exactly?"(See all of Shaula Clark's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 03/18/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...smoothly integrates the suspense and tension of a Hollywood thriller with a ground-level depiction of American chicanery in the chaotic days after the fall..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 417 words, 03/11/10
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...director Paul Greengrass pursues his fast, fragmented, pseudo-realistic approach to action and dialogue. The result is an entertaining, forgettable time-waster."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 03/11/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...far more substantial than glossy, forgettable international thrillers... Even if some of its arguments seem familiar, its indignation feels fresh to the point of rawness."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 672 words, 03/12/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "...generates genuine excitement, as well as plenty of provocation... but then goes off its own reservation into a won't-fly zone of awkward preachments and hapless absurdities."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 820 words, 03/12/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...epitomizes the ability of mainstream commercial cinema to streamline the complexities of the real world without becoming overly simplistic, to fictionalize without falsifying."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,386 words, 03/12/10
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: FAIR "...approaches every human activity as if preparing to defibrillate.... the excitements of the film sit uneasily with its examination of the real and recent past."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 03/08/10
David Edelstein, NPR Fresh Air: MODERATE "...you can't say Greengrass and Damon don't take a stand. In the Greengrass zone, there's no time or space for the quiet revelation... There's a lack of imagination..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 441 seconds, 03/12/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...it's hard to argue with a film that insists 'the reasons we go to war always matter.' Can one man make a difference? this film asks."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 920 words, 03/12/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...high-voltage action drama does a better job of defining where the U.S. went hopelessly wrong on Iraq than it does in creating a plausible suspense scenario."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,143 words, 03/04/10
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...director Paul Greengrass brings the frenetic, run-and-gun style with which he utterly transformed the movie thriller in the Jason Bourne series... a remarkable film."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 944 words, 03/04/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...it's hard to argue with a film that insists 'the reasons we go to war always matter.' Can one man make a difference? this film asks."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 920 words, 03/12/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "...too simplistic in its explanations, too well-rounded in terms of heroes and villains, and ultimately too symmetrical for its own good."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,353 words, 03/08/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...epitomizes the ability of mainstream commercial cinema to streamline the complexities of the real world without becoming overly simplistic, to fictionalize without falsifying."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,386 words, 03/12/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "...generates genuine excitement, as well as plenty of provocation... but then goes off its own reservation into a won't-fly zone of awkward preachments and hapless absurdities."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 820 words, 03/12/10
15.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Green Zone's reviews are separated by an average 15.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Green Zone (50 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Green Zone's reviews cover 98.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 30,158 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 603 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Green Zone Coverage, Volume & Length (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 21.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Green Zone's reviews on average broke 21.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Green Zone's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Green Zone (50 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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