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Back Shelf Beauties
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Syriana I hope you are the kind of moviegoer who has some patience, because this one will prompt the idiots sitting behind you to be whispering all the way through. "Who was he again?" "Is that the guy whose son did that thing?" Yes, Syriana is a movie where everyone has to pay attention and follow the story to get it, so walk in with your brain ready to function. Syriana is several stories all related to each other without any of the characters realizing it, kind of like in real life. George Clooney stars as a CIA agent Bob Barnes - a man desperate to find a rocket launcher after it is stolen during his covert operation in Tehran. Jeffrey Wright is lawyer Bennett Holiday with a powerful DC law firm hired to help a major oil company, Connex, receive Justice Department approval for their merger with a smaller company, Killean, at a time when Killean is being accused of breaking the law to win a lucrative contract to drill for oil in Kazakhstan. Matt Damon is an energy analyst consulting a revolutionary thinking Middle Eastern prince, Prince Nasir Al-Subai (Alexander "Deep Space Nine" Siddig), who is ready to ascend to the throne if others don't stop him first. Finally, a young Pakistani man loses his job at a Persian Gulf oil facility and falls in with a terrorist training group as his prospects for future work grow dimmer. Among those who are fighting for justice, those who are fighting to make some money and others who feel they are fighting to save their country, who will win the battle? As written and directed by Steven Gaghan (based on the book by Robert Baer), Syriana is dedicated to showing how disparate lives and activities come together due to underlying agendas and greed. In the movie, shady lobbyists, oil barons, questionable CIA operatives and legal advisers all attempt to manipulate the system while a well meaning group of do-gooders battle for what is right and just, which is a great premise for a movie. However, Gaghan doesn't make it a case of right and wrong. He provides shades of gray as characters are challenged by forces bigger than themselves, tempted to have the kind of money and influence they desire and scared by the threats levied at those who don't bend their will. Gaghan takes a bit too much time to develop the story and show us how all of the players tie in together, but, once we realize what is happening, Syriana is full of tension and mystery. While most in the audience will not be shocked by the movie's theme of corruption and how the rich and powerful try to control the world, it is dramatic to watch it all play out on the screen because our writer/director invites the audience to follow the action closely and see the big revelations for themselves. No imposing music erupts when a major character shows his true colors. Sometimes, I wish Gaghan would lead us by the nose to some information, but Syriana is a refreshingly challenging movie that doesn't discount the audience's intelligence. It could use some additional energy and action, as well as dump a few unnecessary characters, but the subtle, quiet style is easy to appreciate even if we are left with more questions at the end than at the beginning (of course, that makes for great debate after the movie while getting a cup of coffee or a late night snack). Of all of the great actors in Syriana, Clooney, Plummer, Siddig and Wright stand out for me. Wright does a wonderful job showing all of the pressures put upon Bennett, including some family stuff, and the big decision he must make as the reality of the investigation unfolds. He is great as the confused and scared guy failing to cover it up. Plummer is perfect as the high powered and well connected law partner, Dean Whiting, who sees these types of struggles everyday and made peace with his life years earlier. He makes Whiting imposing in that quiet way a truly powerful person acts because he doesn't need to have a big bark to show the world he can bite. Siddig effectively, embodies the revolutionary and proud prince without falling into the trap of overacting his zealousness and righteous indignation. He bases it in reality as a smart man who knows how to attack the problems he sees and what he wants to accomplish. Finally, Clooney is the guy who will get the most buzz for his performance as Bob Barnes. As you probably have heard by now, Clooney put on 30 pounds to portray Barnes (which made him look like a normal human being, GASP! A grand sacrifice for his art), had his dog killed by a snake, and suffered a serious spinal injury while making Syriana (it's the scene where Barnes is roughly treated while on assignment), so some sympathy should be accorded to him come Oscar nomination time (he earned the nomination even without the sob story). Clooney shows great intensity in Syriana as the middle management guy who is in the field and feels he has the first hand experience and knowledge needed to work on the issues at hand. You run into these guys everyday in DC, and Clooney finds the right amount of incredulity and anger at authority needed. Also, he shines in his final scenes with another major character (I won't give it away, even if you have seen it in every commercial) as he dances with the big dog and doesn't play games, while shocking us with a gripping torture scene that Gaghan makes into the best moment in the movie. It gives Clooney a chance to remind us he isn't the same actor he was in the early days of ER. He has become one of the leading creative forces in Hollywood as a fine actor and director, and this movie could be the one where he finally gets his due. Syriana needs more intensity and could have cut out a few characters who seem to have no purpose, but it's a fine film sure to spur conversations, even if you just want to focus on the film's events instead of some political ideas. 3 Waffle (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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