Thoughts on Stephen Gaghan's Syriana?

I thought I'd share this interesting little flick with you all.



Official site here

Inspired by a non-fiction book written by former CIA operative (and now a pretty vocal critic of the agency) Robert Baer, See no Evil, Syriana is really a deep dive into money, power, corruption, and... well, oil. Specifically, Middle Eastern oil.
The director is Stephen Gaghan, the same guy who penned the script for Traffic a few years back. Syriana uses a very similar narrative structure—we follow these tangled, overlapping storylines involving an American intelligence officer, a young oil broker, a prince from some unnamed Gulf state, and a suicide bomber. It’s pretty clear someone realized that the situation in that part of the world is just way too messy and complicated to fit into a standard, linear movie. 😁
To be honest, I was a little nervous about this one; I know Hollywood doesn't always have the best track record when it comes to handling morally gray, complex themes. But looking at the early buzz from critics who caught it at promotional screenings, I think I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Leading the charge, of course, is George Clooney, who isn't just acting but producing as well—which has turned him into one of the most intriguing, if somewhat predictable, critics of the Bush administration. Man, thinking back to how much we used to tease him back when he was playing on ER and winning over everyone's hearts!
My deepest apologies, Mr. Clooney. 😁

...
All in all, it's just another one in a recent string of surprisingly political and socially relevant high-profile films (think The Constant Gardener, Good Night and Good Luck, or even Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones 😛).

Just waiting on Syrian.

An interview with Gaghan over at AINTC:

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=21859

For most people, everything involving computers is just incredibly complicated. Only a tiny fraction of the population actually bothers trying to wrap their heads around how, what, where, when, and why the tech business works. What the masses expect from technology is simply for it to work—everything boils down to utility. That’s all the average person wants, and eventually, that reliance turns into an addiction once you factor in things like gaming and the internet. Meanwhile, those who aren't intimidated by the inner workings quickly realize that with a little effort and a fair amount of manipulation, you can live quite well without breaking much of a sweat. I’m one of those people myself, so it’s honestly pretty hard for me to be critical or even want to change anything. Just human nature, I guess.

There’s a similar principle at play with illegal drugs, and honestly, even with legal ones—you know, medications. But ultimately, this logic applies most to oil. The end user just says, "Give it to me at a price that makes sense given its value," and everything is fine. In the meantime, what’s actually happening behind the scenes—how that oil actually reaches the pump where your average American fills up—is, well, actually and truly UNIMPORTANT.

From that perspective, ignoring that context, Syriana actually makes about as much sense as a film like Traffic—not just because of the principle I mentioned above, but because of its structure; it uses several parallel storylines that culminate in one final sequence. So, I find this movie totally irrelevant and unimpactful because it doesn't really bring anything new to the table that an informed person doesn't already know or an average person hasn't already guessed.

Clooney plays a disillusioned CIA operative who finds himself on the "wrong" side of corporate thinking at some point; basically, he gets suspicious of a certain shipment of high-tech weaponry and tries to push things forward by sending that famous old concept of a "memo"—something nobody actually wants to read. From that moment on, the film moves quite predictably, devolving into a political pamphlet set against the backdrop of the current movement in the USA to reduce dependence on Middle Eastern oil. The film features more than one disillusioned and fed-up character with a few moments of raw truth being pushed out there, which is exactly why it feels like "someone" made it overly complicated just to keep the uninitiated at a distance. Because, realistically...

...for most people, everything regarding oil is incredibly complicated, and only a very small percentage of the population actually attempts to understand the how, what, where, when, and why of the oil business. What the masses expect from oil is for everything to just function, and in the end, it all comes down to usage—that’s all the average person cares about, and eventually, that usage becomes an addiction with the rise of cars and planes. Meanwhile, those who aren't struggling to grasp how it all works quickly figure out that with a bit of effort and plenty of manipulation, you can get by quite comfortably without much struggle. And people making a living from it find it very difficult to be critical or want to change anything. Probably just human nature.

As far as movies go, it has good pacing; things are happening, but unfortunately, it's predictable and offers nothing new. Because of the parallel storytelling technique, none of the characters are particularly well-developed, and you don't really know who holds any actual weight in the story. Otherwise, regarding the idea that there's nothing new here—some might call it a variation on the conspiracy theme... though for some people, the mere fact that two individuals agree to grab coffee is a conspiracy. In reality, it all just comes down to how much power or influence you have to do what you think needs to be done. Everything else is just momentum.

To make a long story short... the film isn't really... 😉 😁

Best tip ever... if you ever find yourself in the Middle East and instead of making up some elaborate story about what you want or where you're going... just say I'm a Canadian! 😁

solid post 👋

Solid political thriller. One of the few movies I’ve actually sat through lately without reading a single review beforehand. It’s pretty complex and feels surprisingly real. But honestly, the movie isn't even the issue—the issue is me. 😁
Basically, there are so many characters and names being thrown around that for someone like me who can't remember a face or a name to save my life, it was a struggle to keep up. If it were up to me, every single one of those guys would've had a little floating nametag over their heads with a quick bio attached. 😁

It follows a similar template to Traffic, though I actually found this one better—Traffic kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It’s basically just a tidy little school report on a specific topic. Personally, I can't stand that defeatist tone; if you're going to highlight a specific global injustice, why make the whole thing feel hopeless? But hey, maybe that's just me. Oh, and that torture scene with Clooney was absolutely revolting.

Honestly, this movie was an absolute train wreck... I was practically counting down the minutes until the credits rolled just so I could finally get out of the theater.
None of the three storylines actually land the punch they were aiming for, and frankly, I thought the subject matter was too important to mess up this badly...😠

Here’s my two cents on the matter:

I actually drifted off during the movie... those ticket prices are just brutal!

completely disappointed

Great concept, terrible execution.

Olivia Lopez10 said:great concept, terrible execution

Actually—if you ask me—that exact execution is the one thing pulling this movie out of total mediocrity.

The film is way overhyped, frankly quite dull, and feels unfinished...

Larry Cruz51 said:the movie is overrated, boring, and unfinished.

Fine—those first two points are subjective enough—but what exactly makes it "unfinished"?

Look, the movie is solid, but it’s definitely not for everyone...
I’ll be the first to admit I struggled to stay locked in at certain points, but honestly, the craftsmanship is top-tier. Its only real flaw is that it demands way more from you than your typical flick—you actually have to pay attention instead of just zoning out.

I think I could go for a second viewing, too. I definitely didn't catch every single thread the first time around.🙄

I really liked the movie, but man, that torture scene was just too much. I actually sat there for five minutes with my hand over my eyes... 🙄
And honestly, I think that’s kind of how things actually work in the real world. Sadly enough.
It didn't even bother me that the characters weren't super deeply developed—I mean, who has the time to weave an entire life story into a single film? But if we're being real, they were fleshed out enough to make sense of the plot and what was driving everyone.
The only thing that truly got under my skin was that annoying Bennett. He was just driving me crazy. 😁

Jack Harris3 said:I don't mind if the characters aren't deeply fleshed out—it’s not like they have time to weave in an entire life story for everyone—but realistically, there's enough substance here to grasp both the plot and what drives them.

Exactly. It works for me.

Some movies lack an ending—a clear sense of closure. Others miss a middle, lacking a coherent plot. This one is missing a beginning. If you already have a PhD in global politics and economics, you might be able to connect the dots, but everyone else would probably need a cheat sheet handed to them at the theater entrance.

The acting is decent, though Clooney isn't even in the same league as Matt Dillon, who's his real competition for this year's Oscar. I actually found Alexander Siddig much more compelling in his role as the liberal heir apparent.

It’s messy, confusing, and worst of all—boring. At the very least, it stays under a reasonable two hours. I'll give it credit for having a message at the end, even if I still can't figure out how that conclusion relates to the rest of the film, especially Clooney's opening sequence. There's some substance there, but overall? It's bad. It could have been a disaster, but this is still pretty lousy.

The movie was even Oscar-nominated and everything, but they pulled it from theaters after just two weeks. I'm honestly so bummed because I didn't get a chance to catch it.😠

😕
Everyone keeps going on about how complicated this movie is, but honestly, I felt like I knew exactly who everyone was and what their deal was at every single moment.