Critics today like to complain about Hollywood's lack of topicality, writing reviews that endlessly yearn for the ballsy, turbulent cinema of the '70s that tackled relevant issues head-on. This year's hugely-underrated 'Jarhead' did not take much of a political stance on oil and the government's corrupt preoccupation with it; even though it was an illuminating, indispensable portrait of life in the Marines, critics tended to unfairly knock it for what it wasn't about more than anything.
Those same critics are falling all over themselves to praise 'Syriana,' writer-director Stephen Gaghan's new film, because it is a cynical, well-cast expos?? of corruption present at every level of the oil industry. Even though 'Syriana' buckles somewhat under the weight of so many disparate story strands and subplots, it is a thoroughly engrossing, exceedingly ambitious effort that demands a viewing.
In fact, 'Syriana' may be the most complicated, dense product to come out of mainstream Hollywood in recent years. It would be an understatement to call Gaghan's plotting labyrinthine, as he calls attention to at least a dozen pivotal characters over the course of the film's 126-minute running time.
There is a hefty George Clooney as anxious CIA operative Bob Barnes, who dutifully takes care of ambiguous foreign threats, Matt Damon as energy analyst Bryan Woodman, whose young son's tragic death has uneasy ramifications regarding his ties to the Middle East, Jeffrey Wright as Bennett Holliday, an attorney working to smooth over a high-profile merger between two oil giants, and so on and so forth. An impressive ensemble cast, including Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Amanda Peet, William Hurt and an especially memorable Tim Blake Nelson also fit in variously in the complex proceedings.
Every player has at least one powerful moment and manages to contribute effectively, and Gaghan demonstrates a remarkable skill for shorthand character development. 'Syriana' is without a doubt one of the most important films of the year and is certain to be the topic of numerous conversations.
Despite Gaghan's talents and his cast's willingness to take such an impassioned swipe at global oil-related corruption, 'Syriana' is too much of a good thing. Its overly convoluted plot is quite confusing. As a result, the audience becomes just as confused as the characters. If the audience is hopelessly lost when trying to comprehend a main character's basic intentions'many of which are extremely dubious in 'Syriana''there's less drama, and yes, that's a flaw.
It is tempting to compare Gaghan's film to 'Love Actually,' but unlike that rambling romantic comedy, virtually every subplot of 'Syriana' would be worthy of its own movie. Not surprisingly, Clooney's CIA plot stands far and away above the rest, and the resolution of his story culminates in one of the most explosive, commanding sequences in recent cinema.
While Gaghan's direction works, Steven Soderbergh probably could have lifted 'Syriana' to its full potential. The last time Soderbergh worked with Gaghan, he reined in a similarly sprawling script, and the result was 'Traffic' and a Best Director Oscar. Gaghan clearly aspires to replicate 'Traffic,' but even his strongly Soderbergh-inspired direction can't lucidly cram everything in. 'Traffic' was intricately plotted and knotty, but it allowed its characters to breathe and thus resonate, while 'Syriana' bites off more than it can chew.
Nonetheless, 'Syriana' is a scathing expos?? that succeeds due to its fearlessness and superb craftsmanship. It may not be as good as most critics say it is, but it is certainly worth a viewing. Although to fully comprehend it, it might take two viewings.
