I gave "Syriana" a 7 only because I thought it could have been a little easier to follow. And I love complicated plots. Other than that, this is an excellent movie about how absolute power corrupts absolutely, and what people will do to control the oil situation and profit by it. In the film, which is based on a book by an ex-CIA agent (the Clooney character), we are shown many different stories that eventually come together - a CIA agent who infiltrates the other side, an executive and his family, two brothers struggling for a country's power, a young man who is seduced into a fundamentalist cell, and fat cats who want two huge oil companies want to merger and will do just about anything to get the merger approved. Probably the most sobering thing in the film for me was the fact that the emir had two sons ready to take over the country, and the U.S. wanted to make sure that the son in power was the one more in tune with them than the other son, who wanted to do things for his country and his people.
The point made by George Clooney on one of the DVD features is that there are no good guys and no bad guys - the oil people, despite despicable actions, feel completely justified doing what they do because we need oil. As a result, other countries hate us, we're at war now, and with so many Iraquis killed, terrorists have been able to raise money for their cause. I told you the most sobering part. The saddest was a young man, before a suicide mission, approaching his father and asking for money for the bus. The father is playing baseball and stops and gives him the money. The boy impulsively hugs him and holds him tight. It was heartbreaking and frustrating - they believe in their cause and are willing to die for it, and I can't understand how that can be. But it is.
The performances are all excellent with many stars, such as William Hurt, in cameos. Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey Wright, Robert Foxworth, Matt Damon, and Amanda Peet are all wonderful as part of this intricate story. Clooney is great - his eyes are haunted, he's scruffy, flabby, and conveys terror and his sense of isolation beautifully.
You see "Syriana," and you think, wow, that was pretty complicated, I'm not even sure I knew half of what was going on - and then you can't forget about it. "Syriana" and its thought-provoking messages will haunt you and make you wonder what on earth is going to happen to all of us.
The point made by George Clooney on one of the DVD features is that there are no good guys and no bad guys - the oil people, despite despicable actions, feel completely justified doing what they do because we need oil. As a result, other countries hate us, we're at war now, and with so many Iraquis killed, terrorists have been able to raise money for their cause. I told you the most sobering part. The saddest was a young man, before a suicide mission, approaching his father and asking for money for the bus. The father is playing baseball and stops and gives him the money. The boy impulsively hugs him and holds him tight. It was heartbreaking and frustrating - they believe in their cause and are willing to die for it, and I can't understand how that can be. But it is.
The performances are all excellent with many stars, such as William Hurt, in cameos. Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey Wright, Robert Foxworth, Matt Damon, and Amanda Peet are all wonderful as part of this intricate story. Clooney is great - his eyes are haunted, he's scruffy, flabby, and conveys terror and his sense of isolation beautifully.
You see "Syriana," and you think, wow, that was pretty complicated, I'm not even sure I knew half of what was going on - and then you can't forget about it. "Syriana" and its thought-provoking messages will haunt you and make you wonder what on earth is going to happen to all of us.