Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
George Clooney in a scene from the political thriller 'Syriana'. - CONTRIBUTED
SYRIANA, WRITTEN and directed by Stephen Gaghan is a story about oil and all the other strings that are attached to it. It is a thoughtful film which takes its time to connect the dots that stretch from the flames roaring in the Middle East to the thriving economies of the West.
Big business is what proves that human civilisation is a myth, digging into the base emotions and callous decisions that govern business, while portraying some of the individual tragedies that result. Syriana uses the oil business, in this case the very appropriately named conglomerate Connex and Killex who have just undergone a merger at the beginning of the film.
Despite the list of names attached to this film, one should not go to Syriana expecting a testosterone-driven, hemi-charged action flick. The explosions are geared toward shocking, not thrilling and though the plot is interesting, it is not the kind to keep one at the edge of one's seat with suspense.
The movie is a well-cast ensemble piece featuring a wonderful mix of 'stars' and great actors of lesser-known repute. A very un-sexy George Clooney plays Ben Barnes, a career CIA operative. He is offset by Matt Damon as Bryan Woodham, Amanda Peet (Julie Woodham) and Alexander Sidig as Prince Nasir Al-Subaai whose optimistic outlook will clash with rampant capitalism, even though Woodham too is driven by capitalistic desires.
Jeffrey Wright as up and coming lawyer Bennett Holiday, gives a performance fabulously replete with minimalism and his serious callousness is chilling while Amir Waked as Mohammed Sheik Agiza portrays a disenfranchised Pakistani.
POLITICAL AND PERSONAL
Syriana is a particularly well-timed movie especially as the United States and its mythical coalition continue to wriggle around in Iraq. However, though it is clearly cognisant of the economic imperatives for war, Syriana makes no attempts to create distinct connections between its exploration of the oil business and the current political situation. As such, it only serves to reflect a truer picture as it separates itself from propaganda, for good or for evil.
What is particularly impressive about the film, however, is that it brings a multi-faceted approach to the story. The tale bounces from Princeton to the Persian Gulf, Washington to Beirut and in so doing it covers both the large politics and the personal effects of the way the oil business is structured. It is at once political and personal as it shows both political and economic strategies and how these affect people on the personal level. As such, it evades political grandstanding and exudes a much more humane appeal.
The film dwells in obscurity which is reinforced in the dialogue, the plot and the visuals. The camera wavers between intense close-up and long shots that reveal nothing, or it separates conversations and the visuals attached to them. It highlights the fact that every story has many sides, and we are never really able to see them all clearly.
