Syriana   
 

Bob Barnes: George Clooney

Dean Whiting: Christopher Plummer

Bennett Holiday: Jeffrey Wright

Jimmy Pope: Chris Cooper

Bryan Woodman: Matt Damon

Prince Nasir Al-Subaai: Alexander Siddig

 

 

Directed by Stephen Gaghan

 

Written by Stephen Gaghan

 

Suggested by the book by Robert Baer

 

Everyone knows that the oil business is, generally, not the bastion for humanitarian ideals.  Maximizing profits is the order of the day and it usually comes at whatever cost.  However, Syriana, written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, is not an indictment of oil companies.  Instead, it demonstrates how everyone from the lowest Arab worker to the CIA soldier to the economist to the federal government is affected by the circumstances in the region.

Syriana contains an intricate plot full of multiple, interweaving storylines.  From the lawyers up in their ears with corruption, the oil men looking for the best way to make an extra buck, and the innocents that get swept up in it all, wittingly or not.

Syriana easily brings to mind Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, which was written by Gaghan.  The way each seemingly different life and experience is connected is very similar to this film.  Traffic was a little more poetic and tragic, though, and hit a little harder, which is more of a testament to Soderbergh’s skill than Gaghan’s lack thereof.  The only thing Gaghan could have done better would have been to better focus all the different stories.

That being said, Syriana is a brilliant film.  And it almost requires more than one viewing to catch some of the interesting plot developments that might have been missed the first time.

The acting from the ensemble cast is superb, led by George Clooney as the CIA operative who speaks his mind too often and is left hung out to dry by his bosses.  He is not alone, though, as Gaghan has filled the film with colorful and realistic performances across the board. 

There are the young workers in a dead-end life that turn to religious zealotry due to both the lack of alternatives and the ease of their recruitment.  Jeffrey Wright gives a low-key but note-perfect performance as Bennett Holiday, the supposedly neutral lawyer who is just as prone to self-preservation and advancement as anyone else.  And Tim Blake Nelson has an intriguing small role as Danny Dalton who gives a stirring speech about the comforts and necessities of corruption.  It is very reminiscent and every bit as powerful as Gordon Gekko’s “greed is good” sermon to the stockholders of Teldar Paper. 

There is a little bit of a left-leaning slant to this film, but it is far from pervasive or even noticeable.  And, whether it's true or not, it is chilling to see the lengths the government will go to just to protect itself by either throwing its own people under the bus, or labeling progressive Muslim thinkers as terrorists to protect its interests in the region.

This leads us to the tragic hero of the film: Prince Nasir Al-Subaai (Alexander Siddig).  With the help of economic advisor Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon), he has outlined a plan to bring western principles to his country.  However, by granting a contract to the higher-bidding Chinese, his plans are soon thwarted by the U.S. government.

This is a damning indictment of the motives behind government action, and in the realm of this story, is truly appalling and heartbreaking.

The greatest strength of a movie is its ability to both entertain and encourage actual thought.  It’s hard to say how relevant Syriana will be 10 years from now.  But it is the perfect movie to examine the factors and the politics behind what is, currently, the most tumultuous region of the world.  And, unfortunately, it brings to light the fact that everyone has a role in it.