Syriana on DVD (2005)

Complex but intriguing - a political film for today

Sam from Maidenhead , 04/03/2006

Syriana follows the multi-plot narrative that films such as Traffic and Crash did so well. Four stories are told, each interdependent on the other. One is about the CIA involvement in the Middle East, one is about the merger of two oil giants, one is about the heir to a oil rich country and the other about a Pakistani immigrant who gets laid off by an oil company only to find solace in Islamic militarism. This film is not easy going as the plots are very complex - especially the story about the oil merger and the corruption that goes with big business. The real pay off is in the last thirty minutes when all the stories come at log ahead and a climatic conclusion is sought. The film is a little over-indulgent in its complexity but it is riddled with some tension enhancing scenes such as the Clooney's torture and the CIA spy satellite. The acting and direction is superb. Be warned half the film is in subtitle but this adds to the realism of this project. Syriana at no times dumbs or glosses over the arguments about oil politics. Could be shorter and a little more straightforward for a first viewing but it should be commended for asking all the right questions.

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Difficult to understand

crispin40 from Stirling, Scotland , 23/07/2006

I borrowed this film as a result of all the hype. However, I found it difficult to understand, the dialogue was mumbled and some of the subtitles seemed to be missing. We are politically aware and can well believe the corruptions portrayed in this are true. However, films should entertain as well as educate and there was very little joy in this.

Too confusing for us to be bothered watching all the way through.

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The first hour is awful, but it gets better

TristanWhite [Highly rated reviewer] , 08/10/2006

This is one of the most complicated films I've seen, and I was lost, completely lost, for the first hour or so. But this is surely intentional (the producers actually gave sheets with character bios to the critics when they sent their film out to be reviewed, so they were well aware that it was going to be complicated). To be honest, you will spend the first hour not knowing who is who, who is working for whom, etc. I've read Roger Ebert's review who says that this does not matter, as our confusion is the same as the confusion among the people in the film, ie they have no idea who is 'good' or 'bad' (or are they all 'bad'). I don't buy that: I think that it would be a better film had the first hour been a tad clearer. In the end, I almost never got to see the ending, as I was beginning to get really fed up (I don't like to feel stupid, and I felt stupid during that first hour). I'm glad I stayed with this one, as it turned out to be quite a good thriller, and very subversive (good old Clooney!). I can well imagine every single thing in the film happening for real - the oil, the corruption... for that, Clooney deserves an applause. But as far as the storytelling is concerned, it's just so confusing, I can't give it more than 2 stars. Which is a shame, as I love a good thriller, and I believe 100% in the premise.

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Complex, with a corker of an ending

A customer from Leeds , 10/04/2006

It is great to see films of such calibre hitting the big screen again and having seen this film, I can't wait for the next Clooney mind-bender! The film's plot is complex, so steer clear of watching it after a heavy meal and a bottle of wine. However, for those of you who do like their celluloid of a higher brow; I cannot recommend this film enough! It avoids assuming that it's audience is dumb and just goes for the jugular with inter-linking plots, heady political intrigue and a nice ending that brings together the four main stories very neatly.

The best part of the movie is undoubtedly the pakistani oil worker plot; in which a disenfranchised teenager under the thrall of the vagaries of big business buy-outs, ends up being laid of through no fault of his own. It is easy to see how his hatred of the oil company is picked up on and used by the terrorist recruiters. It is also a bitter-sweet indictment of both the global organisations who don't care enough about their staff and the terrorist organisations who go too far by assuming that violence will make a difference. A well thought out, thought-provoking movie.

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American Middle East Mea Culpa

A customer from Galashiels, Scotland , 18/06/2007

This is a very powerful political thriller that exposes the corrupt influences of American oil interests in the Middle East.

Although the plot is very convoluted, after a slow start, the story picks up a grim relentless momentum as it moves to its terrible climax. There are no real heroes and a lot of bad guys, mostly American. The only innocents are the Moslem workers whose growing alienation from Western values and exploitation make them easy prey for subversion by their fanatical fundamentalist Islamist teachers into suicide bombers.

This film is a must see for anyone interested in the context of the so-called 'War on Terror' and how it came about, and begs the question as to which side is really to blame .

A thought provoking as well as powerful movie!

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Hmm

Jeniviel from Smethwick , 07/08/2008

Although Syriana is a good, intelligent film, it left me cold, largely because I did not engage with any of the characters. I feel that if the main characters had been allowed to develop more, even if it had been at the expense of lesser characters, it would have helped the film immensely.

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