Syriana (DVD)

A must see, confusing at times but it really makes you think!!

When Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney set up their Section 8 production company in 2000, they took as their benchmark American cinema from 1964 to 1976, specifically the comparatively overlooked output of studio stalwarts Sydney Pollack, Alan J. Pakula and Sidney Lumet. Mainstream movies like All The President’s Men, Three Days Of The Condor and Network were assembled according to evergreen genre guidelines, and yet at the same time were daring liberal commentaries on Nixon’s America, pictures that could not have emerged at any other time.

Until recently, Section 8’s mission statement has been little more than a theoretical gold standard, the sort of lofty promise that allows two well-heeled insiders to dabble in offbeat fare like Far From Heaven. However, with the release of Stephen Gaghan’s audacious Syriana, hard on the heels of Clooney’s own stealth weapon Good Night, And Good Luck, it’s become clear that the gold standard is no longer hypothetical. The world has shifted significantly in the last three years and it’s no longer artistic ideals that America urgently requires, but idealistic artists.

Although Syriana shares DNA with the great ’70s conspiracy thrillers and a common purpose with Clooney’s companion picture Good Night…, the movie it’s most clearly patterned after is Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, which won Gaghan a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar in 2001. Like the drug trade Traffic carefully picked apart, Syriana tackles a BIG subject — US reliance on foreign oil — by weaving together small stories. By entangling flawed individuals at every level of a complex network, each side of the debate is given a recognisable face.

Of the various faces on show, Clooney’s beard-and-bloat disguise has unsurprisingly hogged the acting plaudits, but the actor puts in an unselfish producer’s performance here; his low-key CIA veteran is visibly uncomfortable on centre stage. Indeed, each of the four main protagonists are unassuming bit-players who must tap hitherto unseen resources if they are to ever shape their destiny. Scenery-chewing is left to the distinguished supporting cast, notably the redoubtable trio of Christopher Plummer, Chris Cooper and William Hurt, plus two faces familiar from British TV — Mark Strong and Alexander Siddig, as a terrorist-for-hire and idealistic prince respectively.

As the story ranges over three continents and the faces multiply, there’s much to admire and even more to absorb in every scene. However, the problem with this kind of narrative tapestry is that the audience is offered heaps of thread and asked to take on faith the grand design.

For much of the opening hour it remains hard to divine anything more than thematic tissue connecting the storylines, and many will pine for the narrative clarity Soderbergh’s experience as editor and cinematographer brought to the superior Traffic.

Still, as soon as the various protagonists attempt to take charge of their own fate, the net suddenly draws tighter and the stories converge in both surprising and tragically predictable ways. As the movie accelerates into a breathless final act, salient details are left behind (none of the personal particulars amount to anything significant), and the narrative never quite justifies the roots-of-terror thread that is central to Gaghan’s thesis, but by the time you can recall the forgotten faces the momentum is irresistible, the climax shattering.

I WATCH FILMS RIGHT THROUGH THE SPECTRUM THIS WAS
ONE A FRIEND TOLD ME ABOUT .SO BOUGHT IT THE ACTING WAS GOOG SO WAS STORY
I WATCH A LOT OF FILMS IN THIS VEIN FIND THEM INTERESTING

The acting was good, but the film was slow.
If you like an involved arms deal type film that takes concentration rather than entertaining then this is for you.
I believe the film to be boring and could not watch it to conclusion. I donated it to the RSPCA and two weeks later it is still on their shelves so I cannot be alone in my personal summary of this film and also a friend's opinion who watched it with me.

Arrived in good time. Thanks. Can't think of anything elses to write, but Ebay requires me the have at least 20 characters before i submit,i mean what happend to just a couple of simple words. My motto don't fix what isn't broke.

great movie, excellent plot that makes you thing. clooney is great in this.

in hd this does the settings real justice and the price is too good to miss.

5 out of 5 for the movie and the seller.

I thought this was going to be a really good modern thriller, especially considering the cast line-up. I was very disappointed. It was as if a group of people had made several different films then someone had tried to merge them all together into one. After a while I gave up trying to figure out who was who, or what their relationships to one another were. I really got the impression that the director had thought of a variety of different elements he wanted to include (Islamic terrorism, oil barons, politics, torture, cute children meeting with horrible accidents etc) and made sure they all got in without worrying about whether this made for a smooth plot or not.
I really felt I had wasted two hours of my day.

Very interesting and likable film. Superbly shot, excellent cast. Not my usual type of film but did enjoy it and would watch again and again.

This is a movie that stars some heavy hitters (Clooney, Damon et al) but does the script and storyline justice.
Its all about greed, injuctice, big business and oil.

George Clooney is excellent in this story of the power of oil in the world today. Sometimes complex, the film draws you in and keeps you intrigued until the end. I strongly recommend this film if you want a good sunday afternoon at home with a great cup of coffee and a story of things that I'm sure do happen in the world.