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Syriana
Directed by: Stephen Gaghan
Starring: George Clooney
Genre:
Action-Adventure/
Drama
Run Time: 126
min.
Release Date: December 2005
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
I felt lost in SYRIANA, as if I
were a small rat in a huge maze.
Told through multiple storylines, the film’s focus is on oil addiction
and how it affects everyone connected with it, from the hardworking
Persians in the oil fields to the gluttonously rich Sheiks and American
tycoons. The bad thing about Syriana is that the message stands out more
than the film or — unfortunately — its characters. It’s a valid message
that we need to (must!) hear. We live in a global economy and that
economy directly influences other nations. From Russia to China and Iran
to the U.S., each action one takes will send waves through the other.
Murder and pushing business are co-mingled in Syriana as we see Bob
(George Clooney,
BURN AFTER READING) working for the
CIA in the Persian Gulf. He’s never asked why he does what he does. He
simply knows that he’s doing it for the good of his country. But when
the U.S. turns its back on Bob, he has to make a decision, and it’s
something that will change the course of his life.
Interspersed with Bob are others whose deeds end up causing deadly
results. No fingers are pointed at anyone being at fault for this (one
of the big bonuses of the movie), and it is this that pulls the viewer
into the story. Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright,
CASINO ROYALE)
plays an attorney searching for a way to make a large oil company merger
happen without attracting legal problems. His hard work and initial
goodness are muddled by the end as he discovers what he has to do in
order to affect such a merger.
Byran Woodman (Matt Damon,
THE GOOD SHEPHERD)
is a high level financial advisor for corporate America who loses his
son to an accident (?) at an Arab/American party, only to be sucked into
the lives of the people responsible for his son’s death.
There are at least three other side-stories going on, but I’m not going
to bother with them for one simple reason: they’re too damn confusing!
And that’s the big downside to Syriana. It tries to make too many
connections in too short a time. Several times I had to stop and ask
myself, "Now what does this guy/gal have to do with the story again?"
I’m a pretty astute viewer but several of these characters’ purposes
went beyond my threshold of understanding. For instance, Danny Dalton is
played by Tim Blake Nelson (FIDO), but I have no
idea what his purpose was in the film. He’s got maybe two minutes of
screen-time and that’s it. And Jeffrey Wright’s character (Bennett
Holiday) has what I think is a father waiting for him when he gets
dropped off at his house and they have some sort of angry altercation
for completely unknown reasons. And Dean Whiting (Christopher Plummer,
THE NEW WORLD)
plays a powerful political figure but how, why, and where he flexes this
muscle is never shown nor explained.
Making people connections on film is fun and a basic requirement for
enjoyable cinematic experiences. But if you overload your audience with
these connections, the whole can seem like a bramble of fractured
stories that never come to fruition. And that’s certainly the way I felt
when I saw Syriana.
So why three stars? Look at this: George Clooney, Christopher Plummer,
Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper (JARHEAD),
Robert Foxworthy (TRANSFORMERS),
Matt Damon,
Alexander Siddig (KINGDOM
OF HEAVEN),
Tim Blake Nelson,
William Hurt (INTO
THE WILD),
Amanda Peet (THE
MARTIAN CHILD), and
the list goes on. Now that's an ensemble cast! The acting is excellent.
The message of over-dependence on oil is something everyone in the world
needs to know about and this movie certainly puts it center stage. The
slimy business dealings, the underhanded political tactics, and the
jihadists against Western involvement in Eastern affairs are all brought
into focus without forcing the issues down our throats. Nice job.
With all of the horribly shallow films available for us to watch (ex.
DATE MOVIE), this one
certainly tips the opposite end of the scale. Just be forewarned, you
may feel as though you’re in a maze with no reference points and no way
out.
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Image from Syriana
DVD cost: $18.99
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Syriana is a term used by Washington think-tanks to describe a
hypothetical re-shaping of the Middle East.
Movie Quote: "What
are they thinking? They're thinking that it's running out. It's running
out... and ninety percent of what's left is in the Middle East. This is
a fight to the death."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Syriana
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