Cross-Posted at LiberalStreetfighter.com
If you are in the mood for an engrossing look at world politics, especially in relation to the energy situation then Syriana is just the prescription. A wide net is cast telling the story of global politics and foreign business dealings in this story of the CIA, Arab sheiks, corporate movers and shakers combined with religious extremism. George Clooney scores yet again in bringing another topical piece that shows American movies can make this important kind of film if the will is there. He is to be commended yet again for throwing his star power behind something worthwhile on many levels.
A well chosen cast plays out the story of businessmen, politicians and CIA spooks on one hand and middle-eastern sheiks, their hangers on as well as unemployed Muslim youth on the other. This is an explosive mix indeed and the quite believable story is allowed to play out over 2 plus hours making sure attention is given to the story on every level. It would have been a shame to see these characters and their predicaments short changed or rushed and the film covers alot of ground in this amount of time.
Although the story is based on a novel, great care is made to show that the names and events may be changed but events like this happen constantly in the real world. Our CIA operates on the level shown here and so do big business and politicians. The US is portrayed realistically and so is the middle east in all it’s greed and corruption at the highest levels. This is just the kind of film that the American public needs to see, it may not show us in a good light but the point is to show us as we are. This will be a revelation to the flag-wavers but certianly not to the rest of the planet. Please check this film out as it is released around the country. They are rolling the film out slowly in hopes of garnering great reviews and landing on many “10 Best Lists” at the end of this month. Syriana deserves all the accolades it will receive.
