Movie Review

Syriana

Upon leaving the theater I had to ask myself, did ?Syriana? teach me anything about the ?high price? of oil? My answer was a yes and a no. The film travels along a broad range of topics, beginning with the merger of two oil companies, Connex and Kellen. Jeffrey Wright plays Bennett Holliday, an attorney investigating the merger. George Clooney plays Bob, a strong man used by our country in order to gain the upper hand in the Middle East. And Matt Damon plays Bryan Woodman, an oil expert who loses his son in an accident which leads to him trying to help an Arab prince (Alexander Siddig) become the Middle East?s economic and social savior.

At one point ?Syriana? tells us that influencing other countries for the use of oil is an illegal act, but in essence the U.S is doing nothing but that. Through the money we throw around to the murders we commit over seas, we are showing our political muscle throughout the world. This is a topic that many of us are well aware of but to the extent to which we are involved is something that most of us do not know. This movie gives us a live look at the corruption and the government sanctioned assassinations that allow us to fill our hummers everyday. As Danny Dalton (Tim Blake Nelson), a Texas oilman, says at one point, ?Corruption is what keeps us warm. It?s what keeps us safe.?

There is no question that ?Syriana? inspires thought and discussion about this topic. We are, in essence, holding the Middle East back in the Stone Age, hoping that their conflicts remain and their power remains limited. Is this the price we are willing to pay in order to rely on fossil fuels Director/screenwriter Steven Gaghan, who also wrote ?Traffic,? keeps this idea in the front of our minds as he takes us through this less than kosher world. Only clarity is not this movie?s strong suit. The characters are numerous, which makes it impossible to keep track of who is the head of this and who is defrauding who and for what reasons.

This brings me to the politics of the business deals these people create, which are in a word, complex. The characters still remain engaging, however. Clooney?s Bob is the type of guy who does the Country?s dirty work and never asks any questions about any of it. Damon?s Bryan Woodman is by far the movie?s biggest protagonist, seeing the promise in what the Middle East is capable of becoming. Only the one who steals the show, in a cast of big names, is Alexander Siddig. Known mainly as the ?dude on Star Trek? up until this point, he gives an intelligent and hopeful portrayal of a man dedicated to more than just lining his pockets. ?Syriana? has a lot of ideas it wants to get across, but the film is also so broad that the inter-workings of the government and big business remain less than clear.

Craig's Grade: B

A	10.9%
B	41.8%
C	31.8%
D	15.3%
F	0.3%