"Gorgeous" George Clooney grows a beard and piles on 35lbs of flab to play undercover CIA operative Bob Barnes in this intricate study of America's worldwide involvement in the oil industry.
When asked to explain the situation in the Middle East Barnes says "It's complicated" and he's not kidding. Syriana's labyrinthine plot is composed of four intertwining narrative strands, much like director Stephen Gagan's last project Traffic, that eventually come together in an explosive finale.
They say:
Total Film: “A demanding, exhilarating powder keg. Pay attention, embrace the complexity and you'll be rewarded with one of the year's finest films. "
Guardian: “There is a weird absence of both dramatic heat and political light here. Clooney is now spoken of as the unofficial leader of liberal America. But pundits both sides of the Atlantic have been too quick to take him at his own estimation of himself.
Empire: “Gaghan’s second movie throws light on a shadowy subject that’s shaping the world we live in now. Demanding, even confusing at times, this is required viewing that requires your full attention."
We say:
A cross between Traffic and a John Le Carre novel, Syriana is a throwback to the political films of the early 70s such as Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View.
Clooney gives an Oscar winning performance as the grizzled CIA veteran (based on a real life spook Bob Baer) and provides the film’s best moments during a gruesome torture sequence that sees his finger nails ripped out by a blood thirsty terrorist – even if, for the sake of reality, making him watch himself in Batman and Robin again might have produced quicker results.
Unfortunately, however, Syriana lacks the subtlety of Clooney’s and producer Steven Soderbergh's other recent effort, Good Night and Good Luck, and is almost ruined by Gaghan’s overly complicated plot.
Extras:
Two of the three deleted scenes included in this lightweight extras package shed some light on Barnes’ domestic set up and, in particular, the strained relationship with his wife Margaret (Greta Scaachi) – who is totally absent from the final cut.
Elsewhere, there is an uninspiring eleven minute featurette that sees Matt Damon pointing out rather obviously that: “We’re addicted to oil. We’ve allowed ourselves to get hooked and it’s running out” and a short Clooney interview with a few of his liberal viewpoints. Gaghan doesn't provide a commentary for the main feature.
CAST
George Clooney, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper
Christopher Plummer, Amanda Peet
DIRECTOR
Stephen Gaghan
TIME
128 mins
POSTED...
Wed 8 Mar 2006 at 8:52am
