Syriana is a film based on a book written by Robert Baer. That book was called "See No Evil", and must have been a pretty good one because of all of the characters within the story. The screenplay was adapted with the help of Stephen Gaghan, who also ended up being the Director of the film. Prior to this, he also wrote the screenplay for Traffic and was a co-writer on the television series NYPD Blue. If you have seen those two products of his, then you will know what you are getting into with Syriana. It is a rough looking movie that relies on depicting a realism, and not being overly flashy with its presentation. The film wants you to be thinking as it is moving from scene to scene, and my giving many image with which to focus on, the camera seems to always be moving. I know that some people are not a fan of this type of filming, but I think it adds a more drama to scenes, and that when the camera is still for a time, it helps to show the importance of the new scene. Along those lines, the filming of Syriana was done very well, and it would seem that each scene had a lot of thought put into it in regards to what the audience would see in the foreground and background.

The story of Syriana centers around some of the large oil companies of the World. This is where all of the plots of the movie start to unfold, where at first we are shown that one of the Gulf states is signing a deal to supply all of its oil to China. Meanwhile we have Connex, which a Texas based oil company that is fighting to make its mark and climb up the ranks of the most powerful in the industry. A second oil company Killen signs a deal to drill for oil in Kazakhstan. This company is much smaller and ranked 23rd in size, so it comes as quite a shock that they get the rights to it. Suddenly, Connex announces a merger with Killen, and they now have the rights to go in and bring the oil back to the United States. It comes as a shock to the rest of the industry that Killen and Connex are working together, and the Justice Department launches an investigation to find out if there are some shady deals going on between the two companies and their relationship to Kazakhstan. If the central plots have confused you at all, don't give up faith, because the intent of the movie is that there are many stories going on at the same time and that the movie is created by them.

On the outside of all of the "oil" stories we first have George Clooney as one of the central characters. Clooney plays "Bob" who is a CIA agent with particular skills that work well in the Middle East. He is not your run-of-the-mill type of agent though, and his tenacity to have things done right rubs people the wrong way at times. Clooney actually put on a lot of weight for this role (around 30 pounds) so that he could go into character that much better. What it portrays him as is a subdued man, who has seen the rough side of life, and has come out the other side a changed man. He is married with a son that he wants to attend school in Maryland, and there are some developments of his family life given, but it is not of importance to the main plot devices. Clooney does a really great job in his interactions with other actors in the film, and really brings his "A" game to this role. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe as a result, and I feel he really earned that nomination. I came away very impressed that he could have a role where he didn't need to throw in a humorous presence every few scenes, and when he is on screen you want to focus on his acting in Syriana.

Matt Damon is in another of the main roles as Bryan Woodman, a trader living with his family in Geneva. We get to see Damon as a married man with two children, which isn't his typical type of role, but I think he also does a good job of making this part his own. Damon has made a living off of characters the control the screen, but in his role as Woodman he lets the story develop around him, rather than upstaging everyone in the scene with him. Woodman has grand ideas about how things can be improved in the Middle East, and his company wants to approach an oil sheik whose sons Nasir and Meshal are battling to become the next King of the region. He picks his "horse" and is sure that he can convince them to come over to his company for financial advise, and in turn can give them great ideas on how to best use their oil for influence rather than flash-in-the-pan expenses. So he too ends up over in the Middle East to conduct business, and when the Prince takes him under his arm, is a tag-along to try and convince the Prince just how much his company can do for him.

While all of the plots are unfolding there is another subtle sub-plot involving a boy of Middle-Eastern descent that is unable to find work, and ends up being taken in by a group of radicals. It shows just how hard it is for people to make a good living out there, and it truly shows that people have a point where they stop caring about improving their own position in life. With all of the stories and sub-stories developing at the same time, it would be easy to get lost of confused with what is going on. The key is to not focus too much on one storyline but rather enjoy the film and take it in as it is given to you. Thinking too far ahead could put you in the wrong mind-set and end up ruining the film if you think too hard about what might happen next. Gaghan really has a good film on his hands with Syriana, and he did a great job of casting Damon, Clooney, and Alexander Siddig as Prince Nasir. The story is deep in presentation, thought provoking in conclusion, and holds nothing back as it progresses. The movie does earn its "R" rating, but I won't say why, because I think it is important to have the emotions of those scenes. Syriana is not a tight-knit story, and has a lot of plots within the story itself. But, if you want a film that is nothing like anything else out there, that takes risks which end up paying off in the end, then this is going to be a film you will enjoy. Syriana is bold in presenting its interpretation of Big Oil in the Middle East, and risks a lot by not trying to give the audience exactly what it wants. That is what makes the film so original, and in my opinion what made it so enjoyable to watch.




Recommended: Yes