Syriana 2005
This movie made it on a lot of critics’ Top 10 lists in 2005, so I was looking forward to very tight political thriller. The story is important and ties together a lot of elements, like how big oil can be regulated by the government and pretty much run the government at the same time; how Middle Eastern boys are indoctrinated into terrorist cells; how american ideals are put aside for american economic interests. All of this, and more, are important components in understanding present-day politics. With the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in July 2006, this movie even managed to touch on Hizbollah’s control in that country.
With all of that information presented, it seems like a good movie would be an automatic result. But somehow it misses the mark. The information is good (and should be since it is based on a book by the CIA agent that George Clooney’s character is based on), but not the story. There are some simplifications, like an Arab heir who is just way too altruistic. And they throw in some family drama, I guess, to make you like some of the characters a little better. A story thread about oil executives left me unclear who had been fed to the wolves.
If you are curious about the political situation in the Middle East, but don’t feel like reading, this movie could really show you a lot. Maybe that’s why movie critics liked it so much. But for me it wasn’t covering a lot of new ground and the characters just didn’t grab me. I’ll give this a B-.
Written: 29 Jul 2006