Thoughts on Stephen Gaghan's Syriana?

Richard Hernandez13 said:😕
Everyone keeps claiming this movie is too complicated—personally, I knew exactly who was doing what to whom at every single turn.

There’s something fundamentally wrong with you. 😎

...honestly, I don't even have a clue what a PDV actually is. 😵

An outstanding film. In my opinion, it easily ranks among the top five of the year.

silentpuma9 said:the movie is really good, but it's definitely not for everyone...
I have to admit, I struggled to stay focused at certain points too. But the filmmaking is excellent. I guess its only real flaw is that it demands way more attention from the audience than your typical flick...

I think I could probably watch it one more time, at least once....

I'm with you on this!

At first, I didn't expect I'd have to pay such close attention, so it took me maybe half an hour to finally settle in and concentrate 😁 but after that, everything was great.

The movie definitely isn't for everyone, and it was clearly made that way—it wasn't trying to be some massive Hollywood blockbuster, and you can tell.

Besides, I don't really see what "nothing new" Jessica Nguyen85 is talking about when she says the film doesn't bring anything to the table?
It actually brings exactly what 95% of American movies lack—it avoids that typical Hollywood "commercialized" formula.

People who know even a little bit about the Middle East (I happen to know a tiny bit myself) would say it's pretty realistic. I think that's a huge plus, since it isn't just some classic, poorly done, overly Americanized version of another culture or people.
That’s another thing this movie offers that feels fresh.

Now, whether the plot is endlessly brilliant or not—well, it isn't—but that doesn't seem to hurt the movie.
I see this film more as a look into business-political relations, giving the average viewer a small window into that world, and for that reason alone, it's absolutely worth it.

👍

Yeah... "but it's not for everyone." 😁

Spot on. I’m signing off on everything you said, word for word.

Total perfection as an intro to Middle East nonsense. Just like how Traffic is the perfect gateway into drug deals. Obviously, if you actually know your stuff, the movie feels a bit surface-level—but people like that can just hide behind some butter... or maybe just hide out on Reddit, since everyone here acts like they've known everything forever anyway. I guess. 😁 😁

If you dug Traffic, you'll probably dig Syriana. Honestly, if Clooney and Soderbergh put their names on it as producers, it’s gonna be killer. Way to go, right? 👍

It’s honestly kind of ironic when you think about it—the only group in the whole movie that actually showed a shred of integrity was Hezbollah. 😬

Given all this recent Middle Eastern mess we've been dealing with, I have a feeling that from now on, the only way we're going to see any representation of Hezbollah is through the lens of Hollywood cinema. 🤣

Bring back Dr. Watson, or whoever it is the lead hero keeps explaining everything to! 😕
Here, the viewer is just tossed into the middle of things without any hand-holding, dropped straight into a brutally realistic business world where you can't just listen to what the protagonists say to find their motives—you have to read between the lines of their actual positions. On top of that, the plot is fractured into several parallel storylines!
The film leaves it up to the audience to figure out "who done it" instead of forcing an emotional connection to the main characters, which is what 99% of American films do. Instead, you end up connecting emotionally with the sheer chaos of the entire movie! 👍

To be honest, I was working with such a subpar translation that I spent half the movie feeling completely lost. On top of that, I struggled to wrap my head around all those political intrigues and little subplots; I didn't truly grasp the core premise until the very end. Regardless, during that final thirty to forty-five minutes, I found myself sitting right on the edge of my seat, gripped by how everything would unfold. It was solely because of that intense final stretch—once the pieces finally clicked into place—that this film transformed from a deathly dull experience into something genuinely compelling.

I’m still a bit foggy on the whole situation involving the black guy and his old associate(?), though.

I still don't quite grasp the whole thing with Clooney and his old partner...

Me neither. I can't tell if Bob was just following orders in that final scene, or if he was actually trying to warn the guy...😕

urbanhawk28 said:I'm not sure either—was Bob just following orders in that last scene, or was he actually trying to warn the guy? 😕

I'm leaning towards him trying to give him a heads-up.

The movie is killer. It’s super realistic and actually shows—even if just a tiny slice of reality—how things really work and how that kind of politics actually plays out...
To anyone saying this flick sucks: honestly, you’re either totally clueless about the subject matter or it’s just not your thing. If it’s the latter, maybe just skip the comment.

Bottom line, great 👍