Michelle and I caught a lovely Friday night showing of “Syriana”, the oil business would-be whistle blower flick starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, among other talents. Clooney plays an aging CIA agent (with a killer beard, I might add) whose expertise in Mideast conflict and how to play it is slowly losing its usefulness. The story, written by Stephen Gaghan of “Traffic” fame, is a loose covering thrown over the movie’s moral framework.
What is the framework? Basically, that it’s in the United States oil business’ best interest for the Mideast to be in turmoil, and that’s one of the reasons our government isn’t very good at patching that region up. There’s one poignant scene between Damon, who plays an American lawyer working for a Swiss law firm, and a young Arab prince, whom we until the scene assumed was an unstable fundamentalist. Educated at Harvard, the prince states his desire to create a true democracy, a real economy and a modern society once his monarch father dies. Unfortunately, the U.S. president “asks” the oil-rich Arabs to pull money from their social programs and spend it on overpriced jetliners because “there’s unemployment in Washington state.” Sadly, that prince doesn’t succeed his father. Instead, his greedy American puppet of a younger brother succeeds, probably because the father was pressured by the Americans again.
It’s a great thriller, if it does chug along rather slowly. It’s not anti-American. Mostly it is opposed to the methods our government employs to keep the oil flowing from the Mideast to the U.S.
I couldn’t agree more.
okay of course michelle would want to see this movie, matt damon is in it. she loves him more than life itself. do you think i would like it?
maybe. it’s complicated to the point of being boring at some points. all that trying to remember who’s who and such…
It’s really hard to follow. It would be a good one to rent and watch with Mom and Dad so you can all help each other get through it. Excellent movie though. And yes, Matt Damon is HOT! haahhahahahah