"That's a nice-a donut."

Monday, December 12, 2005

Syriana (2005)

Writer and director Stephen Gaghan's Syriana is a very smart, complex film. In fact, if you think about it, it nearly runs the gamut of scholarly subjects, with a cornucopia that includes social studies, history, sociology, psychology, civics, religion, and maybe even some mathematics. The wide-reaching ensemble picture is a sometimes fascinating look at the world oil industry, and its implications for government policies. The footprint of Soderbergh's Traffic (for which Gaghan scored an Oscar for best adapted screenplay) is all over this. There are multiple storylines, and many people and places to remember. Many people will surely have some difficulty following it and keeping track of who everyone is and how they relate to one another.

Probably the most startling themes (though perhaps not too surprising, for the most cynical among us) in Syriana revolve around the need for chaos in the Middle East, in order to achieve selfish goals of wealth and power. Not many of the people or entities come off looking very good: the CIA, the Islamic fundamentalists, the Middle Eastern royalty, and certainly not the oilmen. None of them are painted into a strict black-and-white world of pure good and evil (well, maybe the oil industry), but they are all real people with real human concerns. Some of them have good intentions but don't realize what they are doing may be considered wrong; while others may not even know which side they are fighting for. Plenty of serious issues of ethics and moral ambiguities abound, with traitors and mercenaries, and people being used left and right.

There is Bob Barnes (George Clooney), a lifelong agent in the CIA. He is from the old-school CIA of dark-ops and spying, but is butting heads with his managers who are the new breed that harbors poorly thought-out delusions of grandeur. He is sent on one mission, which must succeed at all costs, and the fallout from it has international implications. Then there is Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright), a bright honest lawyer who is working on the legal issues surrounding the merger of two major oil companies. Jimmy Pope (Chris Cooper) is one of the oil tycoons, and is solely focused on pushing the merger through. He and his comrades believe that a bigger company can only be a good thing - for everyone.

But Syriana appropriately tackles both sides of the story. Where in Traffic we only really witnessed the American side of the drug war, here we spend a good part of the film studying Prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig) who, though he could pretty do whatever he wants with all his oil riches, he harbors a glimmer of hope to one day help turn his nation into a democracy. He even forms a friendship with an energy analyst (Matt Damon) who is in the midst of family tragedy and turmoil. And Wasim (Mazhar Munir), a down-on-his-luck young Muslim who has just lost his job due to the oil company merger. He tries hard to get another job but circumstances push him in another direction and he gradually shifts towards the dark side of his religion. This is arguably the key storyline in the movie, which needed to hit it out of the park to connect with viewers. It doesn't completely succeed though, as Gaghan doesn't nail the necessary emotional connection with Wasim's transformation.

That being said, everything somehow comes together into a rather cohesive picture. The acting is generally superb across the board. It's a tight political drama, with plenty of intrigue and thrills. Just don't expect many loud gunfights and car chases. Maybe it's just a little too smart for its own good.

The Verdict: B+.

Michael Bentley 12:41 PM

"That's a nice-a donut."

Monday, December 12, 2005

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