Syriana
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Kayvan Novak, Chris Cooper …
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Release: (2005)
If there is one legend in American folklore that is held common throughout the peoples of all religions, cultures, languages and creeds, it may be the one about the small group of evil white men in suits, gathered somewhere in secret and controlling the world over scotch and cigars. Ok, so maybe it’s not an official legend yet, but somehow it is a fear that has found its way nearly as deep into the fabric of our collective unconscious as the pointy-horned devil. And it is upon this fear (the evil white men, not the devil) that Syriana builds up a story of power, politics, money and murder that feels like it could be two parts fiction and one part truth, just as easily as it could be the reverse.
Syriana follows the lives of several players covering the full spectrum of magnitude, from the lowliest of laborers to the richest of kings, as they all play their parts in an international pursuit for control of some of the world’s richest oil fields. What develops is a portrait of the ugliest side of man, flourishing in a place where human lives, religious convictions, and even a man’s own children are reduced to nothing more than capitol to be spent in that pursuit. While it’s not a feel-good pic by a long shot, it is by all measures a good one.
The development of Syriana is unique in that it is both fast-paced and slow to unravel. Almost every scene is no longer than minute or two, and if placed in any other order would feel like non-sequiters. But the sum total is an intricately woven tale which depicts an issue much larger than the sum of all it’s parts. George Clooney earned his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, a category for which Matt Damon may have just as easily earned a nomination from this film. In fact, across the board, there are no weak links in this ensemble cast. Director Stephen Gaghan does a masterful job of jumping back and forth between events taking place around the globe to show the viewer how they are all related in ways that the people involved could not have imagined.
Syriana will inevitably have it’s extreme supporters and detractors on both sides as a result of the volatile issues it addresses, but if you can take it for what it is – a good story, well told – it’s two hours more than well spent.
Grading
Story: A
Acting: A
Visuals: B+
Originality/Innovation: A
Enjoyability: B+
DVD Extras: B
Overall Grade: A-
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