rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2005
Directed by Stephen Gaghan; produced by Michael Nozik, Jennifer Fox, Georgia Kacandes; written by Stephen Gaghan
Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Jeffrey White, Christopher Plummer, Kayvan Novak, Amr Waked, Alexander Siddig, Amanda Peet, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson
The major players are the United States and China. The battlegrounds include Texas, Washington D.C., Europe and most of all the Middle-East. Pawns in this deadly game are royalty, executives, lawyers, hard working men, CIA-agents, terrorists; theird friends, wives and children. At stake is oil, a lot of it, but less than needed. 'Syriana' shows these different territories with its players in multiple stories. Oil seems the goal, but often death is the price. This is one gripping film.
You need to pay attention while watching, but if you are able to do so, it is really rewarding. The different stories seem random choices dealing with the oil industry, sometimes crossing each other, but in the end the bigger picture is quite clear. This comes with no surprise; the writer is Stephan Gaghan (also director) who applied the same storytelling technique to the brilliant 'Traffic', which concerned drugs instead of oil. This time he gets his inspiration, or suggestion if you will, from the book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism, by Bob Bear, a former CIA-agent.
'Syriana' is both a film dealing with serious issues as it is entertainment, and it's not the first time George Clooney appears in something like that. He starred in 'Three Kings' (Gulf War I), 'Good Night, and Good Luck' (McCarthyism), 'The Good German' (WW-II) and 'Michael Clayton' (corrupt corporations). In between he stars in films directed by Steven Soderbergh, the Coen-brothers or himself, combining both entertainment with experimental outings. Even the failed attempts are worth watching. Here he plays CIA-agent Bob Barnes, in an Oscar-winning performance, as if he has never done anything else.
He is supported by Matt Damon, William Hurt, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, Amanda Peet, Brian Cox, Tim Blake Nelson and a lot of lesser known actors. Some may not know know all these actors by name, but their faces are familiar which really helps in remembering the different characters and their part in the whole thing. I't effective instead of "spot the star"-annoying.
After two hours, almost feeling short, the general idea is clear to us: it's a dirty business. Of course many people already knew this, but 'Syriana' still knows how to amaze from time to time. With its smart writing and editing, its terrific acting and directing, this is the serious kind of filmmaking that could and should appeal to a large audience. Don't let the complex structure get in your way.