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| Syriana (Widescreen Edition) |
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List Price: $28.98
Buy New: $11.95
You Save: $17.03 (59%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $9.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 159 reviews)
Sales Rank: 4
Category: DVD
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Studio: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Label: Warner Home Video
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 128 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 012569807723
EAN: 0012569807723
ASIN: B000F7CMRM
Release Date: June 20, 2006 (New: Last 30 Days)
Theatrical Release Date: December 9, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Syriana is an oil-based soap opera set against the world of global oil cartels. It is to the oil industry as Traffic was to the drug trade (no surprise, since writer/director Stephen Gaghan wrote the screenplay to Traffic): a sprawling attempt to portray the vast political, business, social, and personal implications of a societal addiction, in this case, oil. A major merger between two of the worlds largest oil companies reveals ethical dilemmas for the lawyer charged with making the deal (Jeffrey Wright), and major global implications beyond the obvious; a CIA operative (George Clooney) discovers the truth about his work, and the people he works for; a young oil broker (Matt Damon) encounters personal tragedy, then partners with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig) attempting to build a new economy for his people, only to find hes opposed by powers far beyond his control. Meanwhile, disenfranchised Pakistani youths are lured into terrorism by a radical Islamic cleric. And thats just the start. As in Traffic, in one way or another all of the characters fates are tied to each other, whether they realize it or not, though the connections are sometimes tenuous. While Syriana is basically a good film with timely resonance, it cant quite seem to measure up to Gaghans ambitious vision and it very nearly collapses under the weight of its many storylines. Fortunately they are resolved skillfully enough to keep the film from going under in the end. To some viewers, Syriana will seem like an unfocused and over-loaded film that goes, all at once, everywhere and nowhere. Others will find it to be an important work earnestly exploring major issues. In either case, its a film that deserves to be taken seriously, and its likely to be one that will be talked about for a long time to come. --Dan Vancini
Beyond Syriana
The soundtrack |
More from Participant Productions |
Why We Love Jeffrey Wright |
Starring George Clooney |
Oscar Central |
See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism
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Stills from Syriana (click for larger image)
Description
Big oil means big money. Very big money. And that fact unleashes corruption that stretches from Houston to Washington to the Mideast and ensnares industrialists, princes, spies, politicos, oilfield laborers and terrorists in a deadly, deceptive web of move and countermove. This lightning-paced, whip-smart action thriller grips your mind and nerves with an intensity that doesn't let go for an instant.
DVD Features:
Additional Scenes
Featurette:Make a Change, Make a Difference
Interviews:Conversation with George Clooney
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Customer Reviews: Read 154 more reviews...
 In Defense of Syriana July 8, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I don't normally write reviews, but when I saw the negative reviews on this movie, I just had to write something. First of all, yes, this movie is somewhat complex. If you are looking for a movie which doesn't take much brain power to understand don't see Syriana; I would recommend The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (that shouldn't addle your sensitive brain). But if you are looking for a movie that has nuance and an interesting plot, then I would watch Syriana. This movie presents an interesting and unique perspective on the US's relations in the Middle East which I have in few places.
pay attention to the details July 8, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I would say this plot offers up more suspense and intriguing details than any tom clancy movie I've ever seen. It wasn't until about an hour into the movie that things finally started to make sense. But, from that point on, I was hanging onto every word and piecing together every detail.
The trick to understanding this movie before it's over is to remember the names. Once you get to the point when you know who's who, everything else unfolds from there.
This movie does a profound job of putting you into the minds of the impressionable and disenchanted middle eastern youth who are easily recruited into the terrorist agenda. In fact, if you follow this plot closely, you'll realize that the stinger missile that G. Clooney "loses" at the beginning of the movie actually ends up being used to commit an act of vengeance on his behalf.
After all, after becoming cognisant of the circumstances surrounding the investigation of his life's "work", he is forced to shed his "blind" loyalty to his employer, the US government.
Unfortunately, the victims of terrorist suicide bombings aren't always oil executives and arab beneficiaries of oil contract kick-backs. However, as I stated before, it becomes easier to see that the war on terror isn't as clear as the good guy vs. the bad guy, when looking at it from the perspective offered by this movie.
So, what's going on?
Matt Damon is a financial advisor to Prince Nassir. Prince Nassir's family just approved a deal with the chinese to come in and set up shop as oil drillers, as the chinese offered the highest bid.
However, the US wants to cut the chinese out of the picture, so that the newly merged connex and the smaller oil company can do their thing in place of the chinese.
So, now we're at that scene where the old guy is talking to Prince Nassir's younger brother on the yacht. What you have to infer is that the "wish" that Nassir's younger brother wants the "cat's paw" to grant is to have his older brother, Prince Nassir, assassinated. In return for the favor, the US will get the oil contract instead of the chinese.
That's when the CIA have George Clooney arrange for Prince Nassir to be assassinated. However, you know that doesn't work out. That's why Clooney threatened the old man in the cafe. He knows that the old man is setting him up to be the fall guy for the failed Nassir assassination.
So, everything else is pretty much straightforward.
 wish I had my 2+ hours back July 8, 2006
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is the worst movie I have seen all year. It reminded me of Solaris, another Clooney movie that left me confused and wishing I hadn't wasted the time to watch the entire flix.
 Never could figure out what was going on July 7, 2006
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm the first to admit I'm an impatient film viewer. I give a movie 20 minutes to get me involved in either the plot or the characters. I need to make an emotional connection to someone. Don't take this to mean I need immediate action ... many of my favorites are foreign films that introduce intriguing characters and then slowly tell their story. But I need to KNOW what the heck is going on and who the people are.
After 37 minutes of this movie, I still didn't understand anything. The editing was so choppy that the story jumped from one unrelated scene to another in what was far too rapid fire for this ol' brain to absorb. I still only had a vague notion of who the main characters were, and cared less.
I rented this film because I believe wholeheartedly in its message, but I just can't give a 'thumbs up' to the way that message was delivered.
I'm sure if you are more patient and can deal with such disjointed story-telling, this might be a great film for you. But if you enjoy your films to be more linear, you might want to pass on this on.
One other point: A film like this takes hundreds (thousands?) of people and tons of equipment -- all transported to various locales via ... you guessed it ... gas guzzling vehicles. Somehow it seems ironic to me that good intentioned people add to the problem while purporting to publicize it.
 not the eye-opening shock some have made it out to be July 5, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
There are two ways of looking at Syriana: from a typical movie perspective, and a political message perspective.
From the former, this is a movie that demands your attention and forces you to be engaged. The movie and inter-mingling plots move at a fast pace. Some people don't like this style of movie, but I enjoy it. It makes you think and it forces you to pay attention.
From the political message perspective, I was surprised that some people (on the right I guess) were writing this movie off as anti-American, etc. There are a couple of lines from various characters that try to make a specific point, but nothing that warrants the type of criticism that this film has received. As for the subject of the U.S. taking out or removing from power of a foreign (would-be leader), this has happened before and there is ample evidence of it. Anyone that tries to argue against this film based on that argument is either naive or really committed to the lie.
All in all, I liked this film. It's not great and it doesn't go deep enough into these issues to give someone a complete or even partial understanding of them, but I think it's worth watching. I also don't think that George Clooney knows enough about the U.S. and the Middle East to shoot his mouth off the way he does. Word.
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Copyright Runningonkarma.com 2006
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