Syriana (2005) [esoteria / tuxedo ]

http://esoteria.typepad.com/tuxedo/2005/11/review_syriana.html

The storytelling is nearly impenetrable, fine. It's obviously made by people who know a great deal about their subject, and are uninterested in spoon-feeding us a "Politics of the Global Oil Business for Dummies." I don't have a problem with that. Syriana expects its viewers to keep up, and that's defensible. But it doesn't help that the film is littered with half-baked tangents and unpursued threads. In this case, it's not interestingly dense, just frustrating and possibly annoying.

But I'd even be able to forgive that, if only there were some emotional or visceral connection to be made. There is only the suggestion of such key cinematic elements, frustratingly. We don't really have enough time with any one character to make a deep connection, and the filmmaking style is decidedly cool to the touch. The subject matter demands some level of detachment, sure, but if only there were some flash of heat, some deeper and truer hook of the rampant and multiple tragedies splashed all over the screen. It is a movie, after all, and not an article in The Economist.

And I haven't even mentioned the underlying politics of the movie, which are something of a mess. The film is NOT, to be sure, a lefty diatribe. There is no mention of any character's party affiliation, and it's not even clear what kind of Presidential administration the story takes place under. There is no mention of any war or military action in the Middle East, and virtually everyone in the film is steeped in moral shades of gray, no matter their corporate, national, or political affiliations. The only real villains, in fact, are the men behind the curtain at the oil company. And, really, who feels much sympathy for oil companies these days?

----------------
Syriana (2005): "21 out of 33 people found the following comment useful:-
Taut - but convoluted - political thriller,
17 November 2005 7/10 Author: Greg Eichelberger from San Diego

Here's a quick thumbnail sketch of the many plots of the new Focus Features release, 'Syriana,' starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Christopher Plumber and Chris Cooper:

Story 1) Bob Barnes (Clooney) is a CIA covert operative in the Middle East. An expert in this region, he speaks Farsi, is tight with Hezbollah and even infiltrated al-Qeada.

Story 2) Energy expert and financial consultant, Bryan Woodman (Damon) lives a great life in Geneva with his lovely wife, Julie (Amanda Peet, 'The Whole 10 Yards') and his two adorable little boys.

Story 3) Attorney Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright, 'Broken Flowers') is hired by a Connex Oil Co. bigwig (Christopher Plummer, 'The Insider') to find out any dirt on Connex's proposed merger with the small Kemmer Corporation before the Feds do. It seems that Kemmer has procured a deal with the vast oil fields of Kasakistan while Connex has just lost a big Saudi contract to the Chinese.

Story 4) A young Arab (Olivier Yglesias), despondent and unemployed because of the merger, is recruited into a radical Muslim terrorist organization.

And Story 5) A Saudi king passes up his oldest son, Prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig) - a reformer and visionary who desires to bring progress and civil rights to his country - in favor of his less-qualified younger brother (Sam Georges said) who, conveniently, supports keeping US troops in his country.

That's basically the plot setup. Now the wheels begin to turn. Barnes is assigned by the CIA to arrange the assassination of Nasir; instead he is subjected to brutal torture by a rogue terrorists, led by Mussawi (Mark Strong, 'Oliver Twist'). Woodman becomes Nasir's chief financial adviser after his son's tragic death. Holiday, working with Kemmer honcho Jimmy Pope, finds a crooked connection in that company's big deal, and offers to cut a deal with the US Attorney's office. Later, after some bungling, the agency distances itself from Barnes, who heads to Saudi Arabi in an attempt to stop another plot against Nasir.

Competently written and directed by Stephan Gaghan (who won a screenplay Oscar in 2000 for 'Traffic,' another complex, multi-layered film, this time about the drug trade), 'Syriana' can be seen as either a cerebral, thoughtful, intelligent, complex motion picture, or a convoluted, confusing mishmash of a movie.

To me, it's a little bit of both, with the overriding message that oil ruins everything it touches and the United States, with its secret dealings, underhanded alliances and shady involvement in other governments, is pretty much evil. Many people, however, may run out of patience before the movie ends (which seems to be almost glacial at times).

Evidently, Gaghan did a lot of research here, especially with Saudi royalty, and the intricate plots show this; likewise, the many location shots give a true, gritty feel to the picture. Use of Arabic and Farsi (along with English subtitles) also gives the movie a realistic look.

The acting, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. Damon is his usual cute boy self; Peet is non-descript; Plummer is menacingly devious; and Clooney (bloated and bearded for the role) seems to sleepwalk through the role. It is a huge contrast to his dynamic work in the terrific 'Good Night And Good Luck.'

I cannot say I enjoyed the film; but it was a decent effort which deserves a look. Whether that mild recommendation means anything, I can't say. I have a feeling, though, that it will not translate into very big box office."

====================