3 /5
This is the most complex film that I have seen in a while. It's the type of film that I would have to watch more than once to appreciate, as I didn't get a sense of who all the characters were and what agendas they had.
Oil rich Gulf country's apparent next leader, a prince, decides to award a Chinese company the rights to drill natural gas, rights held by a big US company, who were outbid. The US company now tries to merge with a smaller US company who has won drilling rights in Kazakhstan, one of the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. The smaller company is such an unlikely candidate that the authorities begin to investigate what dirty deals took place. A DC law firm is hired to investigate the desired merger, to see if any laws were broken by either company by payoffs, etc. The Emir of the country is old, wants to retire and he has two possible successors in his sons. One is older, socially progressive, with a Ph.D and shady connections to enemies of the US through arms deals, while the other is a young twentysomething, more open to cooperating with the US and open to not be overshadowed by his older brother. A young oil worker is laid off, joins a madrass, comes under the influence of his radical teacher and has the makings of a bad guy...
Strong performances by the supporting cast, but George Clooney and Matt Damon's characters are not very dynamic or particularly interesting. Unfortunately, the film fails to develop and weave the subplots together in a succinct fashion. I kept waiting for an "aha" moment when it would piece together in my mind nicely but that never happened. It's also a bit too slow. Too many characters who do little, are in the film.
Syriana is a timely film but it isn't clear enough to be a hit among mainstream audiences. Based on the book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, a former field officer for the CIA.
Article comments
1 - Geo Y.
Another self righteous, George Clooney diatribe. Nothing more. Now he has more money to spend days sampling restaurants for this gazillion dollar Vegas hotel. Don't you love hypocracy? He's going to get outed soon, too. The homo.
2 - Mik
The CIA is behind it and involved? How original!
3 - swingingpuss
Triniman, thanks for the timely review. We were planning to see the movie this weekend but since my husband has a tough time keeping up with characters and complex plots I will definitely not see the movie in a theater but wait for the dvd.
4 - SFC SKI
Thanks for the review. I have no real desire to see the film, though I probably will once it is on DVD. I believe the movie is only loosely based on Baer's book, which a recommend as a very good look at pre 9/11 events and the CIA. The book gives a good picture of the threat terrorists pose, as well as the incompetence that in part led to 9/11.
5 - Bliffle
I rushed to the theater and watched it yesterday and I enjoyed it. It reminded me of the classic "Z". Yes, the plot is complex, interwoven, and even unsatisfactory in the sense that there is no clearcut hero or villain. But I thought it created a wonderful sense of the ambiguities and uncertainties of modern international politics, economics, greed, violence, espionage, etc. It shows the repulsiveness of much of the underhanded dealings that go on, and even the traitorous interneccine dealings within organizations as people struggle for advancement. One is appalled. But then one realizes that this is what will happen, and perhaps even what MUST happen, in an oil-dependent country which must deal with every kind of foreign nation to satisfy the addiction.
"Syriana" doesn't take a moral position. At the end I thought "well, it's bad that people were betrayed, injured and died", and then I thought "yeah, but at least I can fillup my car with cheap gas!".
"Syriana" doesn't glamorize Clooney at all. He's pudgy, distraught, marginally incompetent, and in the end, ineffective. (I won't deny that these attributes are irresistably attractive to some people, like Clooneys female fans).
I recommend it. Well worth seeing. I'll see it again.
And "Z" is on my queue at Netflix!
6 - Triniman
I haven't read many reviews of this film, but one good one to check out is Roger Ebert's.
Here's another industry that I wish someone would try to put into a film - the banking industry. Most people don't understand the Fed, for example, yet it impacts heavily on the economy. Maybe this is too complex - and potentially controversial - a topic for filmmakers to tackle.
7 - Bliffle
It's the kind of movie you can't force into a pattern. You have to relax and let the movie tell it's story without trying to prejudge people.
Charlie Rose has an excellent one hour interview with the movie maker, Stephen Gaghan.
8 - scim
I agree with Bliffle. It was well done film about our very grey geopolitical landscape.
My major complaint with the movie was the muddled way of handling characters. The lack of proper character introductions helped the understated point of the film, but ended up causing confusion among the audience.
I absolutely love the message about the US choosing oil control over true democratization. Makes me think of a recent war whose name I forgot.