Syriana

[peloquin]

i hear this is supposed to be one of the best movies of the year... the preview looked great.

i'm reading the book that imdb lists as the "suggestion" for the movie called See No Evil: the true story of a ground soldier in the cia's war on terrorism and enjoying it thus far (just under halfway done) very informative. not sure how much the movie will incorporate from the book, but the preview looked very good anyway.

i will be seeing this opening day, cant wait.

[djprieto]

Re: Syriana

I can't wait for this movie, specially been a huge fan of the book!! Let's hope for a high quality movie

[el presidente Highsteppa]

Re: Syriana

I think with Clooney and Soderborough's Section 8 production, and with Clooney having some involvement, it should be pretty damn good. I'm really looking forward to it.

[Kobe]

Re: Syriana

I saw a commercial for this last night, it looks badass! High quality and very topical.

IMDb Plot Summary:
From writer/director Stephen Gaghan, winner of the Best Screenplay Academy Award for Traffic, comes Syriana, a political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry. From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the film's multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power. As a career CIA operative (George Clooney) begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to, an up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig). A corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies, while across the globe, a disenfranchised Pakistani teenager (Mazhar Munir) falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric. Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.

[superdave]

Re: Syriana

I'm looking forward to this movie too. Seems its only playing at limited theaters right now. Anyone know when it goes into wide release?

[el presidente Highsteppa]

Re: Syriana

I'm looking forward to this movie too. Seems its only playing at limited theaters right now. Anyone know when it goes into wide release?

I think Dec 9th

[peloquin]

Re: Syriana

yep, december 9th. cant wait.

[el presidente Highsteppa]

Re: Syriana

This movie actually needs to be longer (believe it or not) in order to flesh out the characters better and give a bit more time to fully explain what it has to say. While I really dug the "Traffic" kind of storytelling (big surprise, considering that the director of Syriana wrote Traffic), the story fragments a bit too much in the sense of understanding the character's motives and this is one really densely talkative movie. Dialogue is key in this film, and needs to be paid very close attention to.

It's unfortunate that they couldn't flesh out the Muslim character a bit more, as there's suggestion that there's more going on, but I suspect a lot of it wound up on the cutting room floor. The Prince however (played by the guy who was the doctor on Star Trek Deep Space Nine) is a very underplayed and very effective character.

Also, Clooney's CIA man is pretty naive for a guy that's been in the business as long as it's being implied. While it does manage to convey a certain nobility to his character being a rogue agent, it kind of strains credibility that someone would allow himself to get into that position so easily in the first place.

Good movie, great cast, great acting, but the story needs more time to develop and the film should run longer in order to allow the audience to digest what's being said.

[peloquin]

Re: Syriana

not suprised that you say that, i had read that they cut a bunch from the movie because of the long running time. in fact they cut out all the scenes of actress michelle moneghan it says on imdb because of the running time.

(without having seen it, knowing i'll like it) here's to the director's cut dvd

[day_for_night]

Re: Syriana

agreed, this needed to be longer. very powerful film though, especially near the end. i just wish they could have explained a few of the sub plots a bit better in order to reveal more of the interconnections that were abundant in the storylines. still, worth your $8.50, definitely

[mmglobal]

Re: Syriana

Great movie, also a must see for 2005. Go see it with friends, it's one of those you want to talk about afterwards...I'm glad they're making movies like this-showing the side of gov't partnered w/business and the bottom line. Not the BEST flick I've seen, but really good-worth seeing and would recommend it to anyone. 8/10

[jeffrey collins]

Re: Syriana

Robert Baer was the CIA guy behind much of the stories in that film. Gaghan was just on Charlie Rose a few days ago and he talked rather openly about the way this story and film was put together.

You really have got to see this interview to really get a sense of where Gaghan is coming from in this film. There is some pretty freaky stuff he talks about. Billionaires talking about what country in going to have oil problems next(meaning big uprises and other turmoil). The taking down of small airplanes to make it look like an accident.

It's really freaky. If you have PBSYOU it's on there for the next couple days.

I'm going to see this film this week. Maybe a birthday present for myself.

[phil]

Re: Syriana

Great movie, also a must see for 2005. Go see it with friends, it's one of those you want to talk about afterwards...I'm glad they're making movies like this-showing the side of gov't partnered w/business and the bottom line. Not the BEST flick I've seen, but really good-worth seeing and would recommend it to anyone. 8/10

I'd agree.. A must see but imo better suited for DVD than in the theatre. I found a few moments where I wish I could have pressed rewind to hear what they were saying again. Good cast but as many mentioned it could/should have been longer.

While it's quite different - The Constant Gardner is still my fave political thriller in the past few months.

[peloquin]

Re: Syriana

finally saw it yesterday and i agree with the above that it could have been longer to develop a bit more (directors cut dvd maybe?) but i thought it was a great film... well acted, well tied together, and very interesting to see the way things worked from that perspective. one of the best of the year for me.

[Localizer]

Re: Syriana

It's a brilliant movie. I admit it's slow, but it takes the same route Traffic did. I happened to pick up See No Evil just after 9/11 (when I was majoring in National Security and attempting to go to the CIA) and the book is full of great incidents that Baer came across. It's sad that this is the actual way our world works and that it will keep moving in this direction. We've let corporate America get the best of us an there's no longer and equilibrium.