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Syriana Our rating: Rate this movie   MPAA rating: R (for violence and some language) Genre: Drama Theater release: November 23, 2005 by Warner Bros. Directed by: Stephen Gaghan Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes Cast: George Clooney (Robert Barnes), Matt Damon (Bryan Woodman), Jeffrey Wright (Bennett Holiday), Alexander Siddig (Prince Nasir Al-Subaai), Christopher Plummer (Dean Whiting), Chris Cooper (Jimmy Pope), William Hurt (Stan), Amanda Peet (Julie Woodman), Tim Blake Nelson (Danny Dalton), Mazhar Munir (Wasim Khan) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

The bulk of media coverage relating to Syriana gives the impression that this is one of the most searing and controversial docudramas ever made, intended to sock it to President George W. Bush and the conservative right. Provocative, yes, and timely for sure, but controversial? To some extent, perhaps, but Fahrenheit 9/11 it is not.

Syriana is partly inspired by See No Evil, the Robert Baer book that chronicles his experiences in the CIA with terrorism and the oil industry. Writer and director Stephen Gaghan uses that along with his own research to scrutinize the business and politics of international oil in the same way that the drug trade was explored in Steven Soderbergh's 2000 film Traffic, for which Gaghan earned an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Both movies boast remarkably deep casts of acclaimed actors, and both tackle their subjects with interwoven storylines. It's a device that allows Syriana to effectively cover the economic, legal, political, and social ramifications of trade relations between America and the Middle East over one of the world's most precious commodities.

George Clooney stars as Robert Barnes, a CIA operative investigating the illegal arms trade

The first of the film's storylines involves Robert Barnes, a middle-aged CIA operative clearly derived from Robert Baer, and played by a heavier-set George Clooney. He's in Iran tracking down the illegal arms trade among terrorists when one of the weapons he's using as bait goes missing. Before he can pursue it further, he's taken off the assignment to investigate Nasir Al-Subaai (Star Trek: DS9's charismatic Alexander Siddig), who is rumored to have "funds in dark corners" as the apparent heir to an Arab empire. Barnes is simply trying to carry out his life's work while doing what's best for his family, but he soon finds himself in over his head when he becomes involved in an international cover-up.

Next is Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon), a young energy analyst and oil broker in Switzerland. Tragedy strikes his family at a party hosted by the Al-Subaai family. As a result, he's offered the opportunity to become the Prince's personal financial advisor and help shape the future of the world's oil industry. But what is Woodman getting himself into, and what price will he pay when asked to choose between his new position and his loyalty to America and his family?

An uncharacteristically subdued Jeffrey Wright plays Bennett Holiday, an up-and-coming D.C. lawyer assigned to oversee the merger between two American oil companies: the giant Conex and the smaller Killen. His role requires him to search for any illegalities in the proposed merger, although he soon learns that not everything is in clear black and white when it comes to the oil trade, especially when the American government wants the merger to happen at all costs.

Alexander Siddig as a young Arab prince, and Matt Damon as his personal financial advisor

Then there's Wasim Khan, a Pakistani teen working with his father at a Persian Gulf oil refinery. Unfortunately, the new oil merger forces them both out of a job, and they are unable to find work as second-class citizens. Wasim is then almost immediately caught up in the controversial teachings of a charismatic cleric. Though it's clear from the start where the boy is headed, it's still one of the film's most affecting storylines, explaining a youth's sad and misguided embrace of terrorism without justifying his actions or demonizing his character.

As might be expected, Syriana implicates the U.S., but it does so without fingering a specific administration—Bush or otherwise—and if Iraq is mentioned at all in this film, it's only in passing without commentary on the war. Moreover, the film clearly spreads the blame across everyone involved—not just America, but also the Arab States, China, Pakistan, and the terrorists caught up in the ideological fervor. If anything, the American oil execs come off the worst, painted as greedy and careless businessmen.

Gaghan nevertheless roots the story in fictional characters, which allows for the argument that these people aren't necessarily the norm. So while some conservatives and liberals will insist the movie promotes a leftist agenda, it's not nearly as polarizing as has been suggested. Not to say that Syriana presents all facets of the subject, undoubtedly leaving out some facts while blowing others out of proportion—it's perhaps a little reminiscent of Oliver Stone's JFK in that way. But it's one thing for a movie to raise questions on a given subject via realistic fiction and quite another to irresponsibly lob accusations while pretending to objectively present all the facts.

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