Mantus

I was trying to figure out what happened to the film they advertised because this clearly isn't it.

Syriana touches on a very important and powerful theme. The coruption and cuckoldry between govenment and Oil and the supplication of the Middle East to their intrests.

The plot is rather black and white. Evil govenment, evil Oil, evil Middle Eastern leaders preventing the good people of the middle east from obtaining democracy and prosperity. The suicide bombers are driven to do what they do (though in the movie they don't take any inocent lives) by the evil forces.

I'll give the editors a big thumbs up. The pace of the film was great. If any scene in the film was a second longer I would have got bored but the story progressed wonderfuly and kept one engaged even though it was very base.

I am still not quite sure if the acting was terrible or briliant. I've never seen character interaction have this little energy. Every scene is totaly drained of energy and because of that you had the ability to analize and take in the relevance of the event rather then being lead along emotionally. However, the lack of chemestry between all the various characters in the plot made their development rather difficult. We judge people not only on their actions but on other's reaction to them. This lack of deapth requires the use of imagination to finish the character portraits.

This film is certainly not Traffic.

In the end I don't know how I should rate it. It's a very narrow portrail of the situation in the Middle East so I can't recomend it as an educational film. The vaguness of it doesn't really drive one to action but rather a feeling of "it's all messed up, there is no hope". It's not an action flick. It lacks any powerful drama. I would say to rent it but you might fall asleep on your couch, atleast in the theater you are forced to watch (might as well get your moneys worth).

Thats my take.

Charlatan

I enjoyed the film. I thought it's portrayal of the issues that are alive and well in the Middle East today were well played.

It's interesting that you mentioned the low key performances... Now that you mention it yes. They were rather low key. But I felt it suited the film just fine.

No this film isn't Traffic but it is Traffic in its method of telling a story. Multiple plot lines all intersecting around a common theme and ultimately all touching on each other...

I facinated that this film even got made and given the reticence of the US mainstream discourse to even acknowledge that oil plays a large factor in their adventures in the Middle East I will not be surprised if this film gets swept under the carpet.

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Carno

I liked the movie. It showed many of the different facets of the Middle East situation, and really illustrated what a clusterfuck the whole thing is.

I think the lack of emotional attachment to the characters is intentional, and necessary, so that viewers will actually analyze the situation and not be lead by their emotions. Whether or not it was intentional, it allowed the viewer to sit back and understand why everything is the way it is without their emotions getting in the way.

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ColonelSpecial

I didn't like the movie at all. I thought the pacing was slow and disjointed. There were too many story lines with not enough conjunction. I have to admit the only reason keeping me there was Matt Damon. While I am not an action movie junkie, this movie just seemed to be trying too hard to be thoughtful.

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Carno

I don't think the plot lines needed to intersect any more than they did. The Middle East situation is not one that is easily understood or pigeon-holed. There are many factors working that make the situation what it is, and not all of them are directly related. There aren't really any cohesive fronts; that's why it's such a big clusterfuck.

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Charlatan

I think if this had been made for television like the original Traffic it would have been a lot stronger. We are a lot more forgiving of character development in television. Of course, it would never have been commissioned in the US (at least by a broadcaster that could afford to make it -- the original Traffik was made in 1989 for UK broadcaster Channel 4).

The story and characters might have been better served that they were in a two hour and eight minute film.

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Carno

I've never seen Traffic, so I can't compare it to that..

Are people more forgiving of the lack of character development in TV because it's a series, or just it being on TV? Are you talking about full length movies on TV, or mini series'?

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Charlatan

I was talking about a mini-series.

Television, being a different medium allows for a more sedate pace and different structure. For example, look at Lost, we are slowly being introduced to characters over time. Or another example, a feature film is (typically) structured around a three act structure while one hour of television is (typically) structured around a five-act structure.

The different expectations and structures of the different media lead us to have different expectations.

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Grasshopper Green

I just got back from Syriana. It's been a long, long time since a movie evoked intense emotion from me, but this one did the trick. I know this was a work of fiction, but as I drove home, I really wondered how shady the behind the scenes dealings really are and how much of the film could actually have somewhat touched on truth. Perhaps I'm just paranoid.

As for the acting...I think it was great and suited the movie well. I particularly think the man who played the elder royal brother did a fantastic job. The only part I really didn't like was the part with the lawyer and his father...it had nothing to do with the story and just seemed like it was thrown in there for the hell of it.

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Charlatan

It isn't that far from the truth and that isn't paranoia. Big Oil and their government friends have been screwing with the Middle East for a long time.

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Willravel

Best movie I've seen on the subject. Only movie I've seen on the subject, but still quite good.

docbungle

I loved this film. Highest rating. As for the lawyer and his father, I saw that as the film's way of bringing us back to everyday life every once in a while, showing us that all of these people involved in all of this high intrigue are, when you get down to it, just people like the rest of us. With wives and kids and alcoholic dads. It was strange to see the things they were involved in lead to a regular night at home with the family.

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Carno

Yeah I agree.

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Gitmo

I liked this movie. It’s probably the best movie I’ve seen in awhile. As for it being realistic it was inspired by the book See No Evil by former CIA agent Robert Baer, George Clooney’s character Bob Barns. Here is an NPR interview of Robert Baer.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5041385