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i liked it - 21/3/2006 4:38:40 PM

ryan1983

Posts: 12
Joined: 17/2/2006
From: Harrow NW LONDON

without a doubt not the easyiest film to follow and to be honest if i watched it 3 times they would probably be parts of it i still dont understand! BUT i liked it and will watch it agan & again until i get it!

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Post #: 31

i liked it - 21/3/2006 4:39:42 PM

ryan1983

Posts: 12
Joined: 17/2/2006
From: Harrow NW LONDON

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Post #: 32

RE: i liked it - 22/3/2006 7:12:01 PM

Satine

Posts: 621
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Somwhere they won't find me

Confussing but compelling is how I would sum up how I feel about this film.

There is a lot going on in Syriana. A lot of different storylines, a lot of people, a lot of names, a lot of faces, a lot of places. Unlike in other films I've seen like Crash or Magnolia the threads don't all magically tie up at the end, they loosely tie together, but you are left feeling that there really are a lot of individual stories going on here. The problem with this is that it is very easy to forget who is who and why they are connected to so-and-so (much like this sentence!). For this reason I am going to give it 4 stars, for the fact that on first viewing it is really hard to really get the specifics of what is going on. There is a lot of jargon and different faces/names, but I know that on further viewings it would become much easier to understand, and despite this the film never looses its way or focus. It really keeps your attention the whole way through.

I really cannot think of a weak link in this film, each character is played with equal significance. One of the reasons I went to see it was George Clooney, he is fantastic. But he doesn't ruin the film by being the standout actor in an ensemble film, everyone is fantastic and he isn't like a shiney penny amongst scabby ones!

There are some beautifully shot scenes here and some really disturbing ones too.

This is a film that will make you concentrate, it will make you think and it is ultimately a very rewarding experience.

4/5

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Post #: 33

Erm...sorry what? - 28/3/2006 2:41:46 PM

drunkmunky33

Posts: 21
Joined: 21/3/2006
From: Birmingham

It dealt with some contraversial and pertintent issues in our current political climate. That i can understand, what i couldnt understand was...oh yeah...any of the rest of the film! dont get me wrong, i'm not thick and i did do my best to get my head round the m ultitude of intertwining plot lines. But it was all to much to do along with a quarter of it with subtitles. overcomplicated, difficult and overrated. But at least the academy proved their shallowness by giving old george the sympathy vote, cant help thinking it was for other reasons tho.

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Post #: 34

Hmm. Not great - 1/4/2006 12:01:44 AM

trueborndjross

Posts: 91
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Kirkcaldy

This film could have been so much better...if only it had been told as a straight story instead of all the different elements. Half way through I was bored wondering what the fuck was going on. Got interested after the torture scene and the rest was OK but can't help feeling disappointed. A good story too and some interesting points brought up though.

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Post #: 35

Complex and thought-provoking - 6/4/2006 9:04:19 PM

britesparc

Posts: 1968
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Manchester

The similarities between Syriana and Traffic are almost overpowering. For a start, it's written and directed by Traffic scribe Stephen Gaghan; it borrows Traffic's episodic structure, with a number of disparate stories briefly intersecting; and it throws its spotlight on a dark and shady aspect of America's socio-political life, one the powers that be wish to keep buried.
It's not quite as successful in its aims as Traffic, however, and some of that may be down to Gaghan not being quite as big a talent as fellow Steven Soderbergh. It never quite grabs as thoroughly as Traffic did, with only some of the stories having the same emotional intensity and dramatic oomph. Some of the characters seem flat and underdeveloped; some of the subplots don't really grab you; and sometimes it seems frankly slow.
However, let's not escape one truth: this is a powerful film. George Clooney certainly deserved his Oscar for his portrayal of disillusioned CIA man struggling with double-crosses, victimisation and the sins of his past. His is far and away the most gripping, and the most damning, story. The other tales, though less powerful, still reveal poignant and disturbing truths about the oil business and American foreign policy: the idealistic prince whose desire for reform is not in America's interests; the troubled analyst with a young family to protect; the conflicted lawyer investigating murky deals; and the dispossessed immigrant drawn to extreme teachings. Although the religious fundamentalist plot line is as predictable as it is inadequately written and staged, all of these plots draw together towards the climax, and explode in sometimes surprising and tragically devastating ways.
The film has its flaws, true enough, but the quality performances and sheer power of the story pulls you through. The darkness the film dips its toes in is surprising, especially for what is a mainstream American movie starring two of Hollywood's biggest stars (okay, pointy-headed liberal stars, but can you imagine this movie coming out two years ago?). It's a brave, thought-provoking and rather disturbing film, and it's Gaghan and his cast's belief in the power of their message that prevents the film from slipping into an issue-of-the-week TV dramatisation of the problems in the oil industry. Top marks for effort then, but we must deduct a couple of points for execution.

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Post #: 36

What the hell was that about - 18/6/2006 12:19:13 PM

Film25:17

Posts: 14
Joined: 19/12/2005

What is the connection between the four people? what country is Matt Damon in? Why is twenty minutesof the film spent in a board meeting? Why is George Clooney trying to save the prince and why does America want him dead? Why is the film as long as it is? and more importantly why did I spend good money to see such a boring and confusing film?

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Post #: 37

syriana - 12/7/2006 1:03:21 PM

BENWATSON

Posts: 1
Joined: 2/2/2006

Many people have posted reviews about how boring this film is. It may be that they are just not interested in the subject matter as much as me, but i understood all of the film completely. I didn't feel preached at either, which was important. Great and important film

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Post #: 38

Syriana - 13/7/2006 7:40:40 AM

Jackswaysland

Posts: 1
Joined: 13/7/2006

Hi, We just saw this film last night and thought it was FANTASTIC..At last a film for adults that requires a bit of thinking.Well acted and a really compelling storyline that was made better by the way it was told.I am at a loss reading some of the reviews below..This is really important film making which exposes an underbelly of Western society which is just terryfying.All in all Brilliant..More Please!

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Post #: 39

RE: Syriana - 13/7/2006 10:36:39 PM

MOTH

Posts: 3194
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Sittin' on the dock of the bay

finally got round to seeing this on DVD.
A complex, thought-provoking film, even if it does struggle to maintian focus and keep control of all its different story strands.
Without a doubt, the film's biggest strength is its acting. George Clooney, Jeffery Wright and Alexander Siddig are the standouts, but not one of the actors puts a foot wrong. Each of their stories presents a different angle on the complex oil/business/government/economy interests across the globe and these are both intriguing and interesting. However, where director Gaghan fails is in allowing the viewer to see the overall picture, even though most of the stories do come to some sort of narrative closure. Maybe this subject is just too difficult a topic to encapsulate in 2 hours, but in the hands of a more experienced director, perhaps the wealth of information could have been more coherently presented (like, for example, Traffic or JFK). Nevertheless, despite its flaws, this film is a throwback to the intelligent politically-orientated film-making of the 70s and for that we should be thankful.

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Post #: 40

RE: Syriana - 15/7/2006 3:18:24 PM

boot

Posts: 431
Joined: 24/2/2006

an enjoyable political drama, that was at times nearly a little too tough to follow, but hey all this oil/politics business is like that though, all very covert, nobody knows whos doing who for what or why a lot of the time, but yes it could have been a little bit clearer at times. but excellent performances and intriguing all the way. id agree with BENWATSON, surely most people who thought it was boring knew they going to watch a political drama before hand? its not the sort of film for everyone, but hey id find watching some pansy journo tearing around in a cape and y-fronts tedium ad-finitum, and as such i wouldnt bother with it.

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Post #: 41

- 5/8/2006 11:02:43 PM

duncansby

Posts: 15
Joined: 30/9/2005

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Post #: 42

decent - 19/11/2006 5:41:59 PM

solid snake

Posts: 209
Joined: 18/10/2006

This is a film that i think should be brilliant. Instead its only ok due to the fact that it is very confusing. Some good scenes that are thought provoking. The main problem with this is miss a minute and the film will not make any sense.

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Post #: 43

jellypocket - 24/11/2006 12:23:34 PM

jellypocket

Posts: 1
Joined: 26/2/2006

After trying to watch this 3 times I was thinking perhaps I needed to hand back my A Levels and my Degree, I am relieved to know I am not alone. Not one for watching after a glass or two of the vino collapso!

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Post #: 44

- 10/1/2007 6:46:59 PM

moviemaniac2

Posts: 525
Joined: 17/9/2006

just got bored of this film well before it was over

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Post #: 45

- 16/2/2007 8:15:30 PM

ukedge87

Posts: 502
Joined: 14/10/2005

I really enjoyed this film, and felt it brought up a WHOLE heap of good points of the Oil corruption etc in the middle east, however, it is cut so fast that you need to be making notes throughout just to know who is who and what is going on. Its not a film you watch to unwind, and it certainly expects its viewer to already have a substaintial amount of knowledge of Middle East Politics etc before watching. The only downpoint to the film, is on hindsight, it seems to be saying that all the middle eastern problems could be sorted by adheering to Western ideals (the "hero" of the piece, is the younger brother of the future oil tycoon, who aims to introduce democracy, women voting etc etc).

However, the flick is thought provoking, intelligent and well acted. Recomend viewing, if only to see what the director Stephen Gaghan has to say on the issue.

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Post #: 46

Thank god I wasn't the only one confused! - 20/7/2007 2:18:44 PM

discodave101

Posts: 1884
Joined: 4/10/2005
From: Sheffield

Half the time I had no idea who exactly the people were and what they were doing, and I REALLY concentrated too. As a result, I got most of the story by the end but had to come online to figure out the rest. Seems like a brilliant story and idea, but poorly narrated in its direction. As a result, a mere 3 stars from me.

If you haven't seen it yet - its hard work, but worth it if you seek out clarification afterwards.

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Post #: 47

- 15/8/2007 10:56:45 PM

Silvertouch

Posts: 127
Joined: 6/11/2005

I think people feel like they should find this film very intelligent and topical. It felt like it was written and edited by a child.

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Post #: 48

Syriana - 30/8/2007 2:21:37 PM

JoeOE18

Posts: 4
Joined: 5/5/2006

Riding on the wave of new politically minded Hollywood output, with its poster boy George Clooney on board, "Syriana" looked to be an intelligent, thoughtful thriller that confronted the important issue of America's reliance on oil. It does in fact confront that issue quite well, but it is not intelligent, thoughtful or thrilling. Clooney plays Bob Barnes, a CIA operative used for dangerous missions in the middle east. The film partially follows his struggles after he is kidnapped on a job and the subsequent betrayal of his organization. Damon, on the other hand, plays in an almost completely unconnected story becoming the personal economic advisor to a Gulf prince (Siddig) after the accidental death of his son.

The stories do collide briefly at the end, as you might predict, but can basically be viewed as separate for most of the film. Damon and Clooney in fact never say a word to each other. The issues "Syriana" deals with are undoubtedly interesting and important, which makes it even more disappointing that they failed to make an interesting film about them. The story is twisting and looks like it's trying to be complicated but is just dull. Dull is really the best word to describe this film, the settings are generally dull, Clooney's performance is dull and the story is very dull. This is a perfect example of what can go wrong when film fails to present a complicated issue in a complicated way, although it is not for lack of trying. Damon's performance was better than Clooney's but still nothing special. I did feel for him when he lost his son and he did draw me in to his half of the story.

It may seem like I'm being very critical here so I feel it's important to say that this is a decent film it's just that I was expecting much more. Following on from "Good Night and Good Luck" I expected this to be as good if not better but it fails on all fronts. What could have been a great start to the year for Clooney has somewhat traile

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Post #: 49

Syriana. - 21/3/2008 8:48:28 PM

nc_jj

Posts: 662
Joined: 20/2/2008
From: Manchester.

An intrepid, excruciatingly brilliant and powerfully shattering movie about power, corruption and lies. Gaghan's directing/writing is stupendous, the acting is terrific; all the movie is amazing. It is a film, definitely, to be seen.

< Message edited by nc_jj -- 19/8/2011 1:34:32 AM >

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Post #: 50