= 4 stars

Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright
Directed by Stephen Gaghan

Syriana is a dense Mideast oil and politics dramatization, containing several plot lines that intersect in few yet pivotal ways. The total picture is both mesmerizing and confusing – which I think is part of the point. The reality of the Mideast is a confusing mix of politics, culture, corporate interests, and human fallibility.

The main plots are as follows:

• Bob Barnes (George Clooney) is a CIA agent, sent to Beirut on an assassination mission but is hung out to dry because of politics beyond his control.
• Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) is an energy analyst. Through his involvement with a Mideast Prince he soon believes cultural problems could be solved through oil money.
• Two young Pakistani migrant workers (Shahid Ahmed, Mazhar Munir) are indoctrinated into radical Islam after being laid off by a huge oil company, Connex.
• The last plot line largely takes place back in America and follows the Enron-like dealings of Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) to get government approval of a Connex merger.

Syriana suggests a serious disconnect between the suit-wearing, wealthy America and part of the world that creates some of their wealth. Global alliances change depending on what interests are most important. The West also tends to use money as a solution for almost everything. Much of Syriana is devoted to the chase of money – in the form of oil – and our culture’s lack of values beyond this. The power of cash permeates the film – from the lavish party that Matt Damon is invited to; to the inherent strangeness of seeing highways and skyscrapers in the middle of a desert that wouldn’t exist if not for oil. I got the feeling that international policy is forged for economic or political reasons (which are increasingly the same thing), not out of any genuine humanitarian concern.

This disconnect and shifting alliances are best illustrated through Bob Barnes (George Clooney) who believes he has the full backing of the United States but suddenly he’s being tortured by the very people he thought were allies. Clooney put on thirty pounds to play the part and he looks physically bloated, tired, and exhausted.

There’s a pretty telling moment where Barnes is lost in the desert looking at several highways, not sure which road to take. They all look similar, but once a path is chosen it seems he won’t be turning back. I think that’s a pretty apt metaphor for the United States involvement in the Mideast. The government feels they have to be there to protect “oil interests” but every future is looking equally bleak. Syriana got me to take a step back and notice the road we’re trapped on, built for the sole purpose of getting money out of the ground, is more than a bit surreal.

IMDB: Syriana
Wikipedia: Syriana
Rotten Tomatoes: Syriana 74%

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Categories: 4 Star Movies, General, Movies :: 4 stars, George Clooney, Jeffrey Wright, Matt Damon, Stephen Gaghan ::

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