Stephen Gaghan, the Oscar-winning writer of the drug-focused Traffic turns his attention to the global oil trade in this wide-ranging drama.
Like Traffic, Syriana tells several stories that intersect in various ways.
George Clooney (in an Oscar-nominated role) plays Bob Barnes, a veteran CIA agent specialising in the Middle East whose absolute faith in the notion that he was doing work for the "good" side is finally beginning to erode.
Matt Damon is Bryan Woodman, a young energy analyst who along with his family attends a party thrown by Prince Nassir (Alexander Siddig - Kingdom of Heaven), the heir to a vast thrown in a critical oil producing nation.
Prince Nassir has just awarded a major oil drilling contract to a Chinese company, ruffling numerous US feathers in the process. Dean Whiting (Christopher Plummer), a powerful Washington lawyer, begins negotiating with Nassir's younger brother in the hope of undoing the Chinese deal.
Jeffrey Wright (Angels In America) plays Bennett Holiday, an employee of Whiting's assisting oil giant Connex (most affected by Nassir's perceived snub) acquire a smaller oil company which just garnered a rival contract - an act that would help Connex regain lost ground in the oil market.
The Chinese contract also sees Pakistani immigrant oil worker Wasim (Mahzar Munir) laid off. Disillusioned by the treatment he and his father subsequently receive, he falls in with a terrorist group.
There are many other characters and events at play in Syriana. It's tough work keeping track of how everything connects, and the mental exhaustion this results in makes it difficult to simply sit back and enjoy the pleasures of the movie.
The overall message that power lies in the hands of the corrupt and ethically challenged comes through loud and clear, but the sprawling nature of the film makes it hard to cite specific examples or moments where this is stated in the film.
Perhaps that was Gaghan's intention - that the geo-political landscape is so permeated by shades of grey it is near-impossible to pinpoint where the corruption truly begins and ends. But his execution is more likely to leave the viewer more bewildered than enlightened.
In addition to those mentioned above, there are many other notable actors in Syriana, such as Chris Cooper (Oscar winner for Adaptation); William Hurt (A History of Violence); Amanda Peet (Melinda & Melinda); Tom McCarthy (Meet The Parents) and making a major impact in a tiny role, Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother Where Art Thou).
To garner two hours of entertainment from Syriana, it is perhaps wisest to see it as a parade of fine performances - everyone is in top form, and Clooney's Oscar-nomination (he's the odds on favourite to win) is well deserved.
The Middle East settings (the film shot in Dubai and Morroco, among other locations) also make for a uniquely beautiful backdrop and present some breathtaking images. The scenes set in America possess an unavoidably more conventional look, but overall the cinematography is above average.
Syriana avoids the stylistic overkill of Traffic (which featured heavily treated film stock), ostensibly one imagines to allow the story to take centre stage. Gaghan appears to want to draw the viewer emotionally into the events on show, but their expansive nature ultimately prevents this.
The film's complexity forces you to consider every element, but this creates an academic tone that can be tiresome.
Syriana is an ambitious film clearly made by talented professionals and there is much to enjoy in it. But the ultimate impression is that of an impassioned political lecture lacking the ability to truly engage.
Moderately recommended.
Dominic Corry
Syriana is in theatres now.
