Syriana: A Review.

June 12, 2008 in Article
Tags: syriana middleeast iraq war clooney film review

Written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, of Traffic fame, and loosely based on former CIA agent Robert Baer’s memoirs, See No Evil, Syriana is a multi-layered and intricate assessment of a universal multi-layered and intricate problem. The film’s title is derived from a Washington term for a hypothetical reshaping of the Middle East, which would ultimately benefit the West. The film touches on many subjects mainly surrounding the subject of oil and its exploitation, including the political, commercial, environmental and security ramifications. The film is reminiscent of the politically charged films of the seventies, such as M.A.S.H. or Catch22. Writer-director Gaghan, creates a six-degrees-of-separation feel between the stories in the film, showing how the privileged regularly pick poverty’s pocket. The cast includes George Clooney as a CIA agent, Matt Damon as a stock broker quasi family man; and Jeffrey Wright as an ambitious Washington lawyer. This is not a holistic story, more a set of people within a jigsaw of explosive politics, money and power.

Underhanded deals, political point scoring and espionage are the most prevalent themes throughout the film, while also assessing the dire side of world issues. The manipulators maneuver precariously in high powered boardroom politics while their decisions lead to the loss of jobs for innocent bystanders. Syriana can be interpreted as a left wing film but it is startlingly a-political, it is not obviously anti-American, but it becomes clear further into the film that the West is to blame for putting oil ahead of all other priorities. It is not sympathetic to terror, but the most compelling plot line tells of how terrorists can be made out of the most banal boardroom decisions. It often feels like a documentary, immersing us deep into far-flung locations and confronting us with issues that could be reportage. The film’s emotive soundtrack guides us as we venture from high powered boardrooms to the uncertain world of young Pakistanis whose sudden unemployment pushes them into the warped obligation of martyrdom.

The film tackles current hot political issues varying from the megabuck-driven politics of oil in the West, and the Middle East, through Arab traditionalism versus modern economics, family conflicts and sibling rivalry on a scale that can affect world peace - and suicide bombing. The film illustrates beautifully how politics and big business will conspire to preserve the status quo at any cost, in turn protecting their power and profits; profiling clearly how all actions have consequences. The West’s undeniable need for oil drives the political and business policies which lead to us being hated. The Pakistani youth pushed into extremism by a fundamentalist is a highlight sub-plot of the film.

This is a complex film which asks the audience to think instead of just watch, trying to highlight the control of the Middle Eastern oil fields is a goal which is at the heart of much of the political process in both the Middle East and the West, while also being the catalyst of what can be perceived as terrorism. The film asks the audience to question their beliefs: is the world really as pretty as you thought? It is thought provoking and enlightening, showing a perspective worth learning, considering and understanding. Although the film takes the viewer on a disjointed rollercoaster ride of experience, it manages to tie the characters to the lives of the audience and anyone who has capitalistic motives. For those who worry about the actions of the West, how big business impacts us in our daily lives and if it will contribute to further terrorist attacks, this film certainly won’t mitigate their fears.
Syriana poses a very important question, why should we care about our dependence on oil? Quite simply because if we don’t kick our oil addiction, our corporations and politicians will hop into bed with, as the West perceive them, corrupt Arabs. Unfortunately the film also underlines the fact that the problem is too big for you to solve, anyway.