Syriana

Whilst being a film that obviously has something interesting and thought-provoking to say, as well as being acclaimed, “Syriana” is a staid and very uninvolved movie. Its pretentious stance on the war for oil will bore many and anger others, even though it seeks to show all sides in a conflicted scenario. Clooney’s change of appearance is to me the only thing that could possibly won him an Oscar!

Like the same year’s “Crash”, the film sees a bunch of disparate people, rich and poor, discussing and dealing with oil, and the links between states and their people are exposed for all to see.

In a film with Matt Damon, George Clooney and Jeffrey Wright, you’d expect good acting, and you get good acting. But it’s nothing to set the world alight (non-intentional oil pun there), and whilst there are lots of moments of stellar recognition, none of the actors seem to create stirring performances that we’ve seen elsewhere. Damon and Clooney are the headliners here, and yet have performed in better fare such as “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “Michael Clayton” this year. They play unorthodox roles to their usual performances here, but even so, it’s still obviously, blatantly Gorgeous George and “MATT DAMON!” to the average viewer. Their fame and notoriety gives them the chance to make films like this with a serious subject, but their performances seem almost bored.

Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey Wright, William Hurt and others make small appearances here, but they don’t get enough time to make as much of an impact as the two mains, and besides, the story is trying so hard to fill itself with interesting characters that as soon as you become interested in one (Plummer and Wright’s conversations are interesting to watch) it changes to another, and the pedestrian plot-line doesn’t help their roles become any more engaging. Amanda Peet was the only female performer here, not only of note but seemingly of substance, and whilst attractive, she is a sub-standard actress. She doesn’t do much to try to convince here, playing Damon’s wife and basically balancing out the sheer amount of males in this film.

Filmed largely in the Middle East, where the film’s narrative is based, gives the film a gritty look, and the direction is good. It’s just that the narrative tries so hard to be so serious and so important, and so the film’s positives (tension, setting and manipulative individuals) are lost amongst the many strands of plot. Stephen Gaghan’s past ‘successes’ as a writer of hyperlinked narratives (see “Traffic” for another example) were the catalyst for this film (alongside his and Clooney’s moral dilemma, no doubt), and if this mess is anything to go by, then this reviewer will be avoiding “Traffic” at all costs, and Gaghan should find a new method of narrative that isn’t quite so boring or pedantic.

There’s so much exposition and fancy crap here that it just really gets too much. The oil jargon, accompanied by law talk and financial discussion is just too much for someone who wants to enjoy a film for what it is; entertainment. The score fits the film as a score should, but there’s no memorable themes or anything. Which is probably best considering that the subject matter wouldn’t really marry well with a bombastic and sensational soundtrack. The slick camera work and sumptuous settings do go some way to making the film appeal to the eye, but whilst this is impressive, it’s merely backdrop, and served only to take attention from the scenes of narrative.

Terribly boring, despite its moral boasts, “Syriana” is one for those insufferable arty types who think that Hollywood is capable of shining a piercing light through the murk of the oil trade.

2/10