ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

OIL CAN BE a curse and a blessing. The economic benefits to an area are often incalculable. The political fall-out is never-ending. In the wide-ranging drama ‘Syriana’, oil is at the root of all evil.

Stretching from the Persian Gulf to Beirut and the playgrounds of Europe, this ambitious mosaic of a story reflects all the complexity of the global oil industry and its central role in American foreign policy.

George Clooney stars as veteran CIA Agent Bob Barnes. As unkempt as television detective Columbo, he is a loyal patriot who has always followed orders and never asked questions.

Now, he is beginning to doubt the integrity of America’s actions on the world stage. The crux of the story is the mounting evidence that the American oil industry is being threatened by the growth of China, the underhand tactics of the Russians and the rising influence of a reform-minded Middle Eastern leader (Alexander Siddig).

Something must be done to maintain profits, even if that something is murder. Tackling a difficult issue in a way that is approachable and entertaining, ‘Syriana’ has the feel of a political conspiracy thriller from the 1970s, like ‘The Parallax View’ or ‘The Conversation’.

It is intelligent and thought-provoking as it tackles the subject through the individual experiences of energy analyst Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon), disillusioned Pakistani immigrant worker Wasim (Mazhar Munir), and lawyer Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright).

Writer-director Stephen Gaghan doesn’t pull everything together with quite the same skill and precision as in his Oscar-winning script for ‘Traffic’, but ‘Syriana’ is still provocative fare that finds its humanity in Clooney’s anguished, Oscar-nominated performance.

Nationwide release

Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Mazhar Munir, Alexander Siddig, Christopher Plummer
Screenplay: Stephen Gaghan based on the book ‘See No Evil’ by Robert Baer
Certificate: 15
Running time: 128 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2005

© Allan Hunter, 2006