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Syriana is a well-intentioned political drama
with subject matter that suggests the old saw, "ripped from today's headlines."
Misleadingly advertised as a thriller, it is a multi-stranded story of intrigue and power
plays to control scarce oil resources in the Gulf and elsewhere (an ex-Soviet Republic
comes into play).
Each storyline exposes the corruption, ruthlessness, and utter cynicism
of the various players in this deadly game. A proposed merger between two American oil
companies comes under the scrutiny of the United States Department of Justice. Shady (read
illegal) deals by the companies will be covered up by the government, in the interest of
American control of oil resources.
Bob Barnes (George Clooney) is a veteran CIA operative shown to be as
effective an assassin as he is an information gatherer. His character is the central
attempt at a sympathetic portrayal and there is an element of honesty to the guy. He's
assumed that the dirty tasks he performs are in the greater good. Yet when he testifies
about the real implications of what he has seen, he is cold shouldered. Still, paid
government assassins, who live a web of lies and play "company man" would seem
more morally accountable than writer director Stephen Gaghan is willing to apply to
Barnes. A movie, even a serious expose, needs a hero, one supposes.
Other story strands involve Nasir, an idealistic, reform-minded Arab
prince who employs a Geneva derivatives dealer (Matt Damon) as an advisor. But powerful
Washington players see the prince's more controllable younger brother as the better heir
to the throne and will do whatever necessary to block Nasir. And then there are the poorly
paid migrant laborers in the oil fields, seeking a better life while the corporate
profiteers rake in their billions in profits.
It isn't a pretty picture.
But it is a picture that people need to see, understand, and take to
heart. Unfortunately, the movie does not make any of that easy. The various storylines are
hard to follow (few will not get lost in the plot), the narrative momentum dissolves in
the confusion, and the multiplicity of characters means that none of them (except Barnes)
is more than two dimensional. It's impossible to make any emotional connection with the
drama, so its impact is seriously diluted.
A good documentary film on the subject would be less subject to
compromise and presumably presented with greater clarity, but it would probably be
impossible to make, given the broad accusations of corruption in the highest places.
Still, are not the daily newspapers rife with stories of corporate and government
corruption, cover-ups and lies? Does anybody still read the newspapers?
- Arthur Lazere
