Syriana

Viewed: 03.06.08
Medium: DVD on laptop
Overall Review: 3.5 out of 5

Plot:
A big US oil corp loses a major contract to a China corp, meanwhile a small US oil corp lands a deal with Kazakhstan. The big and small companies attempt a merger, but are investigated by the gubment prior to the deal going down. Stuff gets blown up, corruption rears its ugly head and hilarity ensues.

Memorable Quote:
"In this town you're innocent until you're investigated."

My Thoughts:
Okay strike that last part in the above Plot section about hilarity ensuing. This was a very serious movie that was much deeper than I expected. On at least three occasions I clicked back a few minutes to soak up a scene again and make sure I understood before moving on.

A quick thought about the production before I get to the goods. Sometimes I watch a movie and wonder how they could afford to make it. As I watched this film it came across as a pretty expensive one to make. Yet I don't recall it getting a ton of press or theater time. I bought the DVD last year when Walmart was selling it for $5.00 then immediately shelved it. I just don't get the feeling it made mad dollars overall, but who knows. I never really gave watching it much of a thought until recently. I'm glad I did.

I enjoyed the actors in their roles. Everyone seemed to somehow fit perfectly in their skin. The plot was interesting because it felt real to me. Oil is big business and, for many, it is life. The essence of this movie is that oil runs the world and there are so many players and actions behind the scene that most of us take for granted. This movie gives you a chance to experience this corrupt, cut-thoat business first hand.

The only drawback I could find was this flick is almost too deep. It goes in so many different directions it is hard to keep up. There were some characters that, after 2 hours of watching the movie, I still couldn't remember their name or completely understand their role.

If you can handle a serious movie about the corrupt big business of oil, then gives Syriana a spin. You can probably find it for $5 at your local Walmart. And don't forget to check out the movie trailer via the movie player below.