Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Kayvan Novak | ... | Arash | |
George Clooney | ... | Bob Barnes | |
Amr Waked | ... | Mohammed Sheik Agiza | |
Christopher Plummer | ... | Dean Whiting | |
Jeffrey Wright | ... | Bennett Holiday | |
Chris Cooper | ... | Jimmy Pope | |
Robert Foxworth | ... | Tommy Barton | |
Nicky Henson | ... | Sydney Hewitt | |
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Nicholas Art | ... | Riley Woodman |
Matt Damon | ... | Bryan Woodman | |
Amanda Peet | ... | Julie Woodman | |
Steven Hinkle | ... | Max Woodman | |
Daisy Tormé | ... | Rebecca | |
Peter Gerety | ... | Leland Janus | |
Richard Lintern | ... | Bryan's Boss |
American oil companies Connex and smaller Killen are undergoing a merger, the new company named Connex-Killen. The move is in response to Connex losing a number of oil fields in the Persian Gulf region as Prince Nasir Al-Subaai, his country's foreign minister, and the oldest son of the Emir and thus the heir apparent to the throne, signed a contract with the Chinese instead. As Killen somehow managed to get the contract for the oil fields in Kazahkstan, the merger would give Connex-Killen additional control of the industry in the Middle East. Connex's retained law firm, headed by Dean Whiting, assigns Bennett Holiday to demonstrate to the US Department of Justice that due diligence has been done to allow the merger to proceed i.e. that the merger would not break any antitrust regulations. The US government is unhappy with Prince Nasir's decision to award the contract to the Chinese, and in combination with issues around illegal weapons, the CIA assigns field agent Bob Barnes, who has ... Written by Huggo
Do you like puzzles? I do. I work crosswords, encryptions and sudoku. I think that's one reason I liked Syriana. But this movie left me puzzled.
Do you like movies with convincing acting, and character development. I do. I think that's another reason I liked Syriana. But who all of the characters were, and what characters were not revealed in the movie left me puzzled.
Do you like movies with mysteries, and with a credible backdrop of events relevant to today's world? I do. That's another good reason to like Syriana.
I think you get the idea. Syriana is a very good movie, but with so many characters and inter-related plots that it is difficult to assemble all of the pieces. You definitely get the main idea though: oil is all-important, and whomever controls oil gets very rich and powerful.
George Clooney, Matt Damon, Christopher Carter, et al., are a terrific ensemble cast that portray their characters very convincingly. Their stories are told separately and coalesce at the end of the movie, much like in "Traffic" and many other contemporary movies. Who are the "good guys" in this movie one may ask. That's difficult to discern. Maybe there aren't any (and maybe there aren't any bad guys either; or, maybe they're all bad guys.) If you decide to attend this movie, pay attention right from the beginning of the movie. And, if you like mysteries and puzzles, try to solve the question of who has the ultimate power among the characters in this movie. As for me, I think I'll have to see the movie again.