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Must Watch: Green Zone Domestic and International Movie Trailers

Posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 by Russ Fischer

green_zone_trailer_1

[Update: The international trailer of Green Zone is now available courtesy of MSNBC (via Collider). This trailer is cut much less like a Bourne film and doesn't emphasize the same fonts and interstitials of that series. See both trailers after the jump and let us know which one you like better in the comments. The original post follows.]

One of the movies I’ve been increasingly curious about in the last year has been Green Zone, the Paul Greengrass-directed semi-adaptation of Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s book Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone. Universal has just released the first trailer. Check it out and let us know what you think of the latest political actioner from the guy behind United 93, Bloody Sunday and the last two Bourne movies.

Yahoo has the trailer debut. After watching the trailer a couple of times, what I’ll say is this: I hope the film is a lot less conventional than this pitch makes it appear. What I’m seeing here is a fairly serious political action movie sold in a Bourne manner to appeal to the widest possible audience.

Which isn’t really a surprise, as there has been concern in some quarters that Universal didn’t have the greatest confidence in the film. It was pushed from this fall to March of next year, though in a weak business year for Universal, like 2009 has been, that makes sense. Because Green Zone is a $100m Iraq movie, and no Iraq movie has done that well with audiences. But star Matt Damon is behind it, while recognizing that it isn’t the easiest sell:

It’s great, I’ve seen it. They’re finishing some of the effects, and it’ll be ready for March. We got a $100m Iraq movie, so we’ll see! I do have high hopes for it, though. I think it’s really good. I know the Iraq movies haven’t been particularly popular so far, but hopefully this will find an audience. It’s a thriller, really, set against the canvas of Iraq in 2003.

Regardless of my less than ecstatic feelings for this trailer, there aren’t many mainstream filmmakers in whom I have more confidence and interest than Greengrass. He hasn’t made a bad film yet, and United 93 was all the things a 9/11 film needed to be: powerful, tasteful and full of insight. If anyone can knock this one out of the park, it’s him.

Here’s the domestic trailer:

Here’s the significantly different international trailer:

Comments

jheberle

looks a lot like another bourne film with an army twist.

which isn't a bad thing...

mace

well its been directed by the same director who did bourne films

jheberle

yes, i know.

monkeymafia

Looks fantastic! I think this will ride the buzz of Hurt Locker but having Damon and the Bourne association will bring in people who were interested in Hurt Locker but ultimately didn't go to the theater because it still looked like an indie war movie (something people just don't care about)

P. Ruben H.

I liked the Bourne-movies a lot, and this movie looks like it, but I think this movie is going to be better. The night-scenes looks amazing. Maybe the fight sequences aren't as good, but the rest... awesome.

Sideshow Raheem

Looks like "Body of Lies" done right.

Nokoo

First Hurt Locker, now this. Looks like we're finally getting GOOD Iraq War movies.

Fir3Wolf

It's a Greengrass movie so I'll be seeing it. Not to mention Damon is in it as well and those guys work pretty damn well together.

vadmspartan

I'm pretty sure for the first 30 seconds people are gonna be thinking that this is a new Bourne movie. I'm excited for it though, been waiting to see this one for awhile. Unfortunately I think the trailer gives away too much of the twists, especially with the Greg Kinnear character (sleazeball govt bureaucrat) and going off the reservation.

Seb

Greengrass Zone

ScanCase

I don't think that the last two Bourne films where good so minus there. Paul Greengrass's directing is horribly shaky which isn't directing so minus there. A stylized interpretation of a war we're in right now, minus there. Really generic looking plot, minus there.

You know what there is nothing about this movie that seems interesting at all.

guy

"Paul Greengrass's directing is horribly shaky which isn't directing"
What?

ScanCase

well when all you do is tell the camera man to shake the camera as much as he can that isn't really directing. It's laziness.

smither

I dont think it's laziness at all. The use of the handheld is his style of film making, which I believe make the scenes more intense and direct...for me at least :)

David Howard

Just Because you don't like the shakey Camera work dosen't mean it's laziness, it's simulating the hecticness of a fight, the camera stays still when it needs to and takes on the shakey style when it needs to aswell. He wouldn't be as sucessful of a director if he was just telling the camera man to shake as much as possible.

ScanCase

No he's a successful director because people buy this new age style of filmmaking. Shaking the camera around does nothing more than confuse the audience and feel amateurish. Instead of simulating the hecticness of the fight why doesn't he show the speed and violence of the fight that the Bourne character takes into each brawl. Bourne isn't thinking about how hectic the fight is he's thinking on how he can efficiently take out his next opponent. Bourne is a tactition not a drunk in a bar room brawl.

________________________________

mbellerbrock

Wow, another film expert... directing is much more than just telling your cameraman how to hold the camera bud.

ScanCase

I'm well aware of that. However if greengrass actually tried making his films look more than a college project with a high stunt budget I would think differently.

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ReplytoMovieGenius

Dun watch Paul Greengrass' or Michael Mann's movies, Shaky cameras bring more Potential to a Movie. Who do you think can handle last 2 Bourne films ? Michael Bay ?

sauce_1

Hmm. I've been waiting for this trailer since I saw a rough cut of the movie in March. The audience I was in? Not to enthusiastic for a couple of reasons. First, pretty much everyone, myself included, thought the Greengrass had really stepped over the line with the shaking camera effect. Way too much way too often. Doesn't really seem like that has changed.
The second thing? Everyone wanted it to be suspense thriller and it definitely had it's moments. But boy it beat the dead political horse over and over again. Had this come out in 2006, Sure. But it's a large barrel of what feels like Bush Admin bashing 4 years too late or 15 years too early. And this trailer makes me think they haven't changed that either.
On the positive side? A good performance from Mr. Damon.

I'm still curious in the final product, but this is just an ok trailer and it makes me think it'll be very similar to what I saw months ago. Oh well.

your mom

I saw Matt Damon, I instantly knew I was seeing it.

THEO

They can pretty much throw a "Based on Actual Events" title card on this thing: "Magellan" is quite obviously "Curveball" (see "Curveball (informant)" on Wikipedia).

atwitterer

Not meaning to be pedantic, but Greengrass is not American. He's British. And I wish Uni would have enough confidence to give this trailer its own music, instead of swiping Bourne's.

fanboy_d

yeah, i read "mainstream American filmmaker" and was like "what?!". you can have greengrass, christopher nolan and danny boyle - but don't forget where they came from!

Trip9

Now that I've seen a synopsis of the entire film in a trailer, including the major plot twist, what's the point of actually watching it? I hate seeing spoilers as marketing, it doesn't work for me.

AdventCiervo

I was thinking the same thing. Did we accidentally get a recap of the whole movie instead of a trailer? Cause that trailer pretty much covered everything that could possibly show up in the movie

Deej

Speaking as someone who has seen the film... trust me, this trailer doesn't give away as much as you're thinking.

Guest

Are you kidding? I saw the movie too, and the trailer shows the film's climactic scene in detail.

NEONBEAR

not seeing why that's a must watch, but alright.

hailstate

I like Damon as an actor, but I'm afraid there's too much of his politics in this movie. I agree with a previous poster that it would be nice if we could get a little distance from the actual events of the Iraqi war because it seems like more piling on circa 2007. We get it, Hollywood; the Bush invasion was wrong and US politicians and bureaucrats are the REAL BAD GUYS.

I'll wait for word-of-mouth to come out before deciding on seeing it or not, but I'm not hopeful Hollywood can do an Iraqi war thriller with out heavy-handed preaching.

Huh?

I've read Chandrasekaran’s book and I have no idea why it's being touted as a source for the film. Non-fiction account of the disorganization, challenges and ineptitude in rebuilding Iraq after Baghdad was captured. Apart from being set in the same place, I don't see the connection. Trailer looks good though I suppose.

Mza

There wasn't one bit of that trailer that I recall from the book. Looks like a decent thriller, but not what I was expecting based on the the source material (think more of a story told from multiple viewpoints: Traffic, etc)

Jeff

"Regardless of my less than ecstatic feelings for this trailer, there aren’t many mainstream American filmmakers in whom I have more confidence and interest than Greengrass"

Yeah well, he's English, not American.

Gelatin Skeleton

This looks exactly like Bourne in Iraq, and I don't think that's a good thing.

Looks like the protagonist who is obsessive about completing his mission (fill in for obsessive about finding his identity in the Bourne films) is being hunted down by the military instead of the CIA this time, and they're using very similar lines like "You have no idea who you're up against", and then there are shots of Damon fighting back against those pursuing him.

I love the Bourne films and what Greengrass brought to the last two, but the set up and marketing here is way too familiar to make me want to see this movie. I guess I'd rather see something more fresh and different than something that is just repeating these Bourne tropes in Iraq with slight differences.

hailstate

Also, it's a little easier for me to believe an off-the-books element of the CIA would hunt down a rogue assassin, than it is for me to believe the US military would hunt down a rogue soldier trying to do his job.

clarencesomerset

Wow this is quite different from what I expected - something based on a true story, clearly not.

Topolab

I like it. Night scenes are done well too despite shaky camera.

cotardelusion

I wish Greengrass would go back to making smaller films like Bloody Sunday, still his best work to date.

waqman

Hey Greengrass/Damon. The Hurt Locker called, it wanted to let you know that this shaky cam nonsense will not suffice anymore.

Yawn. I think I'll rent this.

David

Looks AWESOME!!! I love Paul Greengrass and Damon.

Matt

I'll be curious to see how Americans killing Americans in Iraq plays.

fanboy_d

i like the look of this. but entirely because it looks like bourne 4. greengrass needs to switch it up genrewise before he gets accused of repeating himself. which is unlikely to happen with another bourne movie in the pipeline.

Alex

For all the shaky-cam hating going on here I bet 90% of these people adore Neil Blomkamp, who also shakes the hell out of everything.

richgilliam

looks awesome, greengrass is one of my favorite directors, really excited for this one!

papasanchez

RF, Is greengrass not British?

Kangaroo Be Stoned

"United 93" is good? That's a surprise. :) This does look good, however. I thoroughly enjoy the Bourne films.

Bobby Payne

Greenzo is getting a movie! Good for him!

Captain_Howdy

Must watch? If you say so... I'll catch it on cable one day, perhaps.

Name

Just saw the entire movie in the trailer and saved $15... thank you Universal

dallegre

Paul Greengrass, Matt Damon, Brendan Gleeson, and Greg Kinnear are all plusses, even if all they're doing is a war thriller. If it's entertaining, I'll take it.

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