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4. Do you think this film has an "agenda"? Why or why not? If so, what is its agenda?

The Family Corner

Intended for adults interested in politics and intrigue, Syriana is rated R for violence and some language, but primarily for the language, which isn't rampant but strong enough to earn its rating. The only intense violence comes from a squirm-inducing scene of torture that will leave audiences with a newfound appreciation for fingernails. There's also a teen who half-jokingly states, "If man is made in God's image, then God is messed up."

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For those seeking something besides Aslan's big screen kingdom, here's an alternative: Syriana, director Stephen Gaghan's complicated thriller about oil, corruption, and intrigue starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, and Christopher Plummer.

Adam R. Holz (Plugged In) says, "Syriana offers a bleak yet eye-opening look (albeit from one director's perspective) at how countries and corporations are determined to protect their oil interests. At its core, it is a scathing indictment of how oil and the money and influence it generates corrupts everyone who seeks to control it. Almost every character experiences erosion of his integrity at some point—even those who are trying, on some level, to do the right thing. So it's a profoundly pessimistic moral picture that's painted onscreen, as it suggests that much of what we depend upon in government and business isn't just eaten away at the edges, it's thoroughly rotten."

He concludes, "Syriana will cause those who see it to ask, 'Is it really that bad?' I can't answer that question. But I can tell you it's a question worth wrestling with—though I'm not sure any of us need to see a film as violently despairing as Syriana in order to begin grappling with it."

Chris Monroe (Christian Spotlight) writes, "This is a better than average movie, but you may not agree with all of its politics. Whether you take the proposed ideas and scenarios as absolute fact or not can be a side issue, and you can instead notice the things that are presented as being valuable, namely: humanity and honesty."

Mainstream critics are impressed, but they're also struggling to sort it out.

Andrew Coffin (World) says, "What's just plain silly is the way critics have taken Syriana at face value, as if it's some sort of biting, impartial look at Big Oil, the CIA, and the Middle East, when it most clearly is not. Syriana gives off the air of complexity and depth because it is, on the surface, confusing—characters enter and exit the story without much introduction or explanation about who they work for or what they're doing. But it doesn't take long to figure out that every character serves the same purpose: to blame the U.S. government and U.S. corporations for every evil in the Middle East."

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