**
The amusing irony of this film, which is about the search for non-existent WMD in Iraq just after America’s invasion in 2003 (the very same weapons of mass destruction that were the ostensible reason for the war in the first place), is that it tries very hard to convince us of its authenticity while, at its core, it’s just an excuse for another thriller that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. In the field, where Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) spends most of his time, the movie looks good, it sounds good, and it is, for all we know, historically accurate. But after a promising beginning, during which Miller must contend with the chaos of looting Iraqis and a pesky sniper only to come up empty yet again, the soldier’s frustration and mounting sense of moral outrage propel him (and us) on a bizarre journey of insubordination and inexplicably lax military discipline. Miller seemingly can do whatever he wants (including abandoning his unit) and go wherever he wants (to prove his suspicion that the war was a fraud) without fear of interference from his superior officers (who conveniently disappear after the first half hour or so). Not that he doesn’t encounter resistance; he does. It comes in the form of a high-ranking politico who rates his own special hit squad yet somehow can’t muster the clout to get Miller tossed into the brig where he belongs.
The amusing irony of this film, which is about the search for non-existent WMD in Iraq just after America’s invasion in 2003 (the very same weapons of mass destruction that were the ostensible reason for the war in the first place), is that it tries very hard to convince us of its authenticity while, at its core, it’s just an excuse for another thriller that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. In the field, where Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) spends most of his time, the movie looks good, it sounds good, and it is, for all we know, historically accurate. But after a promising beginning, during which Miller must contend with the chaos of looting Iraqis and a pesky sniper only to come up empty yet again, the soldier’s frustration and mounting sense of moral outrage propel him (and us) on a bizarre journey of insubordination and inexplicably lax military discipline. Miller seemingly can do whatever he wants (including abandoning his unit) and go wherever he wants (to prove his suspicion that the war was a fraud) without fear of interference from his superior officers (who conveniently disappear after the first half hour or so). Not that he doesn’t encounter resistance; he does. It comes in the form of a high-ranking politico who rates his own special hit squad yet somehow can’t muster the clout to get Miller tossed into the brig where he belongs.
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