Sunday, December 11, 2005

Everything is connected

I saw Syriana. Here is a brief review.

I cannot really describe the plot -- it is an interconnected story of greed, corruption, politics, and oil. As the movie moved along, I felt lost at some points because I could not make sense of the connections. But that is the point: the CIA agent, the oil men, the energy analyst, the young emir, the terrorist-in-training -- most of them don't know they are connected to each other either. Syriana is written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, who won an Oscar for writing Traffic, and if you have seen Traffic, the narrative structure here is quite similar. (And if you haven't seen Traffic, then shame on you.)
George Clooney is masterful as the CIA agent who is trying to figure out his place in a complicated web of lies and politics. (Is that redundant?) Matt Damon and Amanda Peet have different ideas about profitting from their own tragedy, and both actors are superb. Chris Cooper and Tim Blake Nelson play oil executives and almost make you understand their corruption. Jeffrey Wright's brilliant portrayal of a good lawyer who walks the line between honesty and corruption anchors the film. Alexander Siddig as Prince Nasir and Mazhar Munir as Wasim, the terrorist-in-training, bring great depth to their roles as well.


Syriana is methodical and surprising. Some scenes made me turn away (Clooney's torture scene spares nothing for the audience), but most scenes kept me rapt with focus. The movie is infuriating, too. Syriana is not a true story, but it is based on the memoirs of a CIA agent, sort of played by Clooney. It is based on reality, and there is no doubt that any or all of these events could happen. Gaghan did massive amounts of research in writing his script, and so this is a fictional account of how things really work in the complicated world of oil politics.

Syriana
is a movie that will make you think. My friends and I talked about it for hours after it was over. And it will reward multiple viewings, so I plan to see it again. I missed some important connections, but again, I think that is the point. The web that centers around oil in the Middle East is a vast one, and Syriana provides an intriguing glimpse into how this web is constructed.

Syriana
will be nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. It is a brilliantly structured, flawlessly acted, complicated, challenging, frustrating film of major importance, and obviously one of the best films of the year.

4 Comments:

At 1:10 PM, Blogger J0hn posited...

I'll see it, someday.

 
At 2:39 PM, Blogger CM posited...

If B-Town ever stops playing Zathura instead.

 
At 11:40 PM, Blogger Erik posited...

Zathura is the dark horse to take home "Best Picture." Just wait.

 
At 6:35 PM, Blogger P "N" K posited...

Thanks very much for the review Dub...I had wanted to see this over break, and your post confirmed my thoughts.

 

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