Today’s quick review: Syriana. With the pending merger of two oil companies, lawyer Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) is assigned to broker a deal with the Department of Justice to allow the merger to go through. Meanwhile, analyst Bryan Woodward (Matt Damon) becomes a trusted advisor for the progressive prince (Alexander Siddig) of a Middle Eastern nation, and CIA agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) faces the fallout of a botched assignment.
Syriana is a political drama about the oil industry and American interests in the Middle East. The sprawling story follows the lives of a lawyer, an analyst, an intelligence agent, and a Pakistani immigrant during an important shift in the oil industry. Corruption, cover-ups, assassination, and political maneuvering are the movie’s bread and butter. However, its dense and unrewarding story will make it a dry watch for the wrong viewer.
The greatest tool at Syriana’s disposal is political shock value. The plot encompasses a broad cross-section of the parties involved in the oil trade and shows the complex web of connections that determine how changes in the industry play out. The movie’s frank portrayal of a scandal in the offing shines a harsh light on American foreign policy. Watching the consequences spread is one of the film’s chief draws and where it gets much of its drama.
The drawback is that Syriana spends so much time flitting between storylines that it doesn’t develop any of them fully. The film tries to flesh out its broad cast through character-building moments, but no single character has a large enough role in the plot to make an impact. Syriana also has a cryptic presentation style that makes the story difficult to follow, requiring the viewer to pay close attention to piece together what is going on.
The end result will appeal to fans of realistic drama and political commentary. Its talented cast coupled with its intricate plot and serious take on its subject matter will be enough to hook the right portion of the audience. But for anyone looking for a straightforward story, conventional heroes and villains, or less of a heavy-handed political message will want to give Syriana a pass.
For a look at the drug trade done in a similar style, try Traffic. For a political thriller with more focused scope, try Body of Lies or Argo. For another take on Middle Eastern politics with a focus on terrorism, try The Kingdom or Traitor. For a jaunty, documentary-style tale of corporate malfeasance, try The Big Short.
6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for ambitious scope that robs its individual storylines of impact.