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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Syriana
By Lee Tistaert Published November 24, 2005
US Release: November 23, 2005
Directed by: Stephen Gaghan
Starring: George Clooney , Matt Damon , Amanda Peet , Chris Cooper
R
Running Time: 126 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $50,846,000
Directed by: Stephen Gaghan
Starring: George Clooney , Matt Damon , Amanda Peet , Chris Cooper
R
Running Time: 126 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $50,846,000
C+
61 of 143
People just talk and talk as if we're supposed to hang on to every word - and we're just left abandoned, emotionally, as we try to cling to "something."
I will now give capsule reviews on occasion (as opposed to full-length).
Syriana is written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, who wrote Traffic for Steven Soderbergh. That film was about drug trade; Syriana is about oil and corruption. Traffic was led by a strong ensemble cast and Syriana has one mighty good one too (headlined by George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, and Amanda Peet); only the problem is that Gaghan doesn't know what to do with his actors this time. He shows signs of being a very good director, but he fumbles in the writing. There are too many characters involved and there's not much character development all-around; people just talk and talk (like in Constant Gardener) as if we're supposed to hang on to every word - and we're just left abandoned, emotionally, as we try to cling to "something."
I'm open to films that are "all talk" as long as there's a strong focus and what is being said hits close to home. But Syriana feels like one long intellectual conversation about oil and politics, and that?s the problem: it lacks a punch. The film lacks the eventful feeling behind Traffic (A-); whereas that film was epic, Syriana is unfortunately tame (and not much actually happens, contrary to the propaganda in the marketing campaign). The film is well acted, but solid performances usually can?t compensate for a confused screenplay. It's a given that oil leaders and government executives can be greedy and evil but Gaghan never goes beyond such obvious information; the script lacks a level of much-needed intimacy. There are great ideas to pursue here, and like with Constant Gardener (C+) not enough attention is placed in those areas. Critics have fawned over this film, but that is no surprise: a two-hour feature drenched in high-scholar terminology and political mumbo-jumbo is likely to get that folk drooling at the mouth, while boring the rest. As one of 2005's last films of hot potential, Syriana is the biggest disappointment I've had so far this year.
Similar films and how I rated them:
Traffic: A-
L.A. Confidential (?all talk?): B+
Fahrenheit 9/11: B
Chinatown: B
City of God: B-
The Constant Gardener: C+
The Interpreter: C+
The Alamo (written by Gaghan): C
The Deal: C-
Syriana is written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, who wrote Traffic for Steven Soderbergh. That film was about drug trade; Syriana is about oil and corruption. Traffic was led by a strong ensemble cast and Syriana has one mighty good one too (headlined by George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, and Amanda Peet); only the problem is that Gaghan doesn't know what to do with his actors this time. He shows signs of being a very good director, but he fumbles in the writing. There are too many characters involved and there's not much character development all-around; people just talk and talk (like in Constant Gardener) as if we're supposed to hang on to every word - and we're just left abandoned, emotionally, as we try to cling to "something."
I'm open to films that are "all talk" as long as there's a strong focus and what is being said hits close to home. But Syriana feels like one long intellectual conversation about oil and politics, and that?s the problem: it lacks a punch. The film lacks the eventful feeling behind Traffic (A-); whereas that film was epic, Syriana is unfortunately tame (and not much actually happens, contrary to the propaganda in the marketing campaign). The film is well acted, but solid performances usually can?t compensate for a confused screenplay. It's a given that oil leaders and government executives can be greedy and evil but Gaghan never goes beyond such obvious information; the script lacks a level of much-needed intimacy. There are great ideas to pursue here, and like with Constant Gardener (C+) not enough attention is placed in those areas. Critics have fawned over this film, but that is no surprise: a two-hour feature drenched in high-scholar terminology and political mumbo-jumbo is likely to get that folk drooling at the mouth, while boring the rest. As one of 2005's last films of hot potential, Syriana is the biggest disappointment I've had so far this year.
Similar films and how I rated them:
Traffic: A-
L.A. Confidential (?all talk?): B+
Fahrenheit 9/11: B
Chinatown: B
City of God: B-
The Constant Gardener: C+
The Interpreter: C+
The Alamo (written by Gaghan): C
The Deal: C-
Lee's Grade: C+
Ranked #61 of 143 between Batman Begins (#60) and Sarah Silverman (#62) for 2005 movies.
Ranked #61 of 143 between Batman Begins (#60) and Sarah Silverman (#62) for 2005 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
'Syriana' Articles
- Craig's review B
December 10, 2005 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. The characters still remain engaging, however. -- Craig Younkin - Scott's review C+
November 25, 2005 It tries to con us into thinking that, since the story is "relevant," we should automatically be enthralled with everything thrown in front of our faces. -- Scott Sycamore
