2005 has been a great year for politically charged films, ranging from old-fashioned highly fictionalized throw-back thrillers like "The Interpreter", to searing, romantic and artistically astute literary adaptations like "The Constant Gardner" to quiet and classy period pieces with timely morals like "Good Night, and Good Luck." "Syriana" arrives late on the scene like gangbusters purporting to be the gritty no-holds-bar thriller that will shine light on the shady underside of our current energy crisis.
Though ultimately a bit of a disappointment, "Syriana" is still far better than the Stephen Gaghan penned "Traffic"-the overrated, over-long multi-layered intertwining episode about the "War on Drugs." Here Gaghan serves as both writer and director, and given the current state of geopolitics, the subject matter here of terrorism, corruption, and oil trafficking is far more compelling and timely than his previous Oscar-winning effort.
Though extremely well acted and marginally well made, "Syriana" suffers because it presents scenarios liberal-minded Americans already know too well thanks to movies like "Farhenheit 9/11" and the continued follies of the current Bush administration. Here we have greedy American oil companies and corrupt politicians putting in place a puppet regime in the Middle East to protect their interests and prevent the Chinese from gaining access to the energy source their burgeoning economy so badly needs. We also have the tale of a grizzled CIA operative (the excellent George Clooney) getting outed, a slick energy analyst (an equally good Matt Damon) looking to cash in on "the winning horse" in a fraternal power struggle for the Saudi crown, and a legal investigator (the underwhelming Jeffrey Wright) pegged to bring down some devious insiders as a PR sideshow designed to give the illusion of due diligence and deter people from seeing the true corruption behind all these overt mergers and acquisitions and covert assassinations.
There are some white-knuckle moments, but the film relies on cheap manipulations (failed father-son relationships, a strained marriage, and the accidental death of child) to play on the audience's emotions. Ultimately none of these characters are very sympathetic because of these lame ploys, although there is an interesting side story about some suicide bombers that could've been more developed and should've provided the emotional core the film so badly wanted to create. Ultimately, the film depicts things we all know too well and offers no solutions to the problems. For all its supposed revelations it left me with a feeling of "so what?" because it never tried to make a statement about what we should do to curtail all this evil-doing.
Side Note: Amanda Peet, the most underrated and misused actress of her generation, is excellent as Matt Damon's wife. Her brief screen time displays her natural charms and her ability to carry heavy drama. Here's hoping her agent convinces her to do more stuff like this instead of the inane comedies she normally finds herself headlining.
Though ultimately a bit of a disappointment, "Syriana" is still far better than the Stephen Gaghan penned "Traffic"-the overrated, over-long multi-layered intertwining episode about the "War on Drugs." Here Gaghan serves as both writer and director, and given the current state of geopolitics, the subject matter here of terrorism, corruption, and oil trafficking is far more compelling and timely than his previous Oscar-winning effort.
Though extremely well acted and marginally well made, "Syriana" suffers because it presents scenarios liberal-minded Americans already know too well thanks to movies like "Farhenheit 9/11" and the continued follies of the current Bush administration. Here we have greedy American oil companies and corrupt politicians putting in place a puppet regime in the Middle East to protect their interests and prevent the Chinese from gaining access to the energy source their burgeoning economy so badly needs. We also have the tale of a grizzled CIA operative (the excellent George Clooney) getting outed, a slick energy analyst (an equally good Matt Damon) looking to cash in on "the winning horse" in a fraternal power struggle for the Saudi crown, and a legal investigator (the underwhelming Jeffrey Wright) pegged to bring down some devious insiders as a PR sideshow designed to give the illusion of due diligence and deter people from seeing the true corruption behind all these overt mergers and acquisitions and covert assassinations.
There are some white-knuckle moments, but the film relies on cheap manipulations (failed father-son relationships, a strained marriage, and the accidental death of child) to play on the audience's emotions. Ultimately none of these characters are very sympathetic because of these lame ploys, although there is an interesting side story about some suicide bombers that could've been more developed and should've provided the emotional core the film so badly wanted to create. Ultimately, the film depicts things we all know too well and offers no solutions to the problems. For all its supposed revelations it left me with a feeling of "so what?" because it never tried to make a statement about what we should do to curtail all this evil-doing.
Side Note: Amanda Peet, the most underrated and misused actress of her generation, is excellent as Matt Damon's wife. Her brief screen time displays her natural charms and her ability to carry heavy drama. Here's hoping her agent convinces her to do more stuff like this instead of the inane comedies she normally finds herself headlining.