I'm opening this thread for our own reviews of the film, but be aware that there will most likely be spoilers! We'll see if we can get the SPOILER tag mod installed for protection.

Chas has the spoiler tag added. See the little "spoil" icon in the bar above you? Click it once before the spoiler-y text and once after to enclose that text in the spoiler tag.



To read the text, you have to click on the word "Spoiler" in the post, otherwise it doesn't show up and you are spoiler-free.

Just saw it tonight (FINALLY!) and...well, it's one of those movies that I think I'll be better able to discuss after a day or two of cogitating. It's not a popcorn movie by any stretch, but it's so worth seeing. It gives the viewer a lot to think about from our basic oil consumption to how our supposed government agencies are acting on behalf of American citizens.

But most importantly: Sid looks amazing and his performance is like nothing I've seen from him before. It's almost scary how completely he steps into the role of royalty. Maybe it really is in the blood.

I saw Syriana last night, too, and I couldn't agree with you more. It's a powerful movie. But I'm going to have to rent or buy it when it's available---I'm not a fast enough reader to catch all the translation subtitles!




How true! He was like . . . a totally different person. What a splendid gift.

Afterward, I went to see Narnia. What a contrast thematically (I mean, not that it wasn't expected---reality vs. fanstasy, like comparing grapefruit to dates). I'd say more, but I'll wait.

Enjoy, especially the great acting from Sid. Syriana, a movie worth the money---a lot more than just entertainment. It's nice to be reminded that there are decent people all around the globe . . . and the deluded, unfortunately.

No spoilers here. Like Mel, I'll write a second review after I've had time to think about the movie or possibly see it a second time.

What I WILL report in exhausting detail was my theater experience. We chose Willow Creek which is close to where my friends live and very close to where I work. I put in a half day of Saturday-morning overtime before heading over to the theater to meet three friends for the 2:15 p.m. matinee. I had to wait a bit in the lobby and noted all the huge posters for King Kong, Harry Potter, Walk the Line, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, Munich, Pride and Prejudice, Yours Mine and Ours, etc. It wouldn't hit me until later that there was no poster for Syriana. In fact, what brought that home to me was when we walked down the long hall to the theater showing the film and the sign outside the theater just had "Syriana" written in black felt-tipped pen on a standard sheet of copy paper in the cabinet where a poster should have been. I'd never seen THAT done before. Apparently the studio neglected to furnish this theater with any posters!

The theater was about half full of up-scale, middle-aged folk who probably don't come to Saturday matinees all that often. There were two previews shown. One was Albert Brook's Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World and the other was Steven Spielberg's Munich. Both looked to me to be somewhat painful, but for different reasons.

One of the nice things about Willow Creek is that it doesn't wear one out with advertisements before the feature. Just two short trailers and the feature was on. Everything people have said about the complexity of Syriana was true, but didn't find it annoying and was very willing to let the narrative pull me along -- trusting that I would understand more in time.

When the film was over I heard one man turn to his companion and say, "I didn't understand..." I thought it was a positive sign that he wanted to understand and that he'd admit to his friend that he hadn't.

My friends and I stayed for the credits as we tend to do and HERE's where things get strange. An older man and woman with popcorn and drinks entered for the next show as the ushers were cleaning up the theater. They were asked to leave until the theater was cleaned. They didn't go. Odd, I thought. Why wouldn't they just retreat to the door and wait? As my friends and I finally left the theater I understood why the elderly couple could not retreat. The line for the next show had already filed in from the door to stand beside the seats. Beyond the door the line snaked up the hall and into the lobby. OK. I've seen lines in theaters before. Heck for one Harry Potter film they had wranglers corralling people in various lines for the several screens! But that many up-scale middle-aged people lining up to see a Saturday 5:00 matinee that wouldn't start for a half hour? That I've NEVER seen!

Guess they didn't need a poster.

Carol

I too was struck by the viewer demographics. Syriana was R rated because of the violence. Do you think it was the more mature audience came to see George, Matt, and/or Sid? If so, they got a bonus of a great story.

The Narnia demographics, on the other hand, startled me. It must have been because we saw the show at 9pm on Friday. Most of the viewers were college-aged, and not so many of us older folks.

Sancha

I don't know the answer to this, of course, but I like to think they came for the subject matter -- that they wanted to see a film about the corrupting influences of big oil. Star power might have played a part, but I saw Oceans Twelve in the theater with Clooney and Damon and the audience was a lot younger.

Carol

Now, it is my turn! Ok, first my theater experience. I went with the family to the theater, the same one that I saw "Kingdom Of Heaven" in, but when we got there, my hubby and kids went to see the three hour "King Kong", and I went to the other side to see "Syriana". "Syriana" started later than "King Kong", so I was the first one into the theater and had some time to wait. When people did start pouring in, I noticed that most of them were mostly couples of my age. I and another gentleman being the only two who came in alone.

Now the movie, well, it was certainly a powerful one for me. It blew me away. It also gave me a more of a background of the oil buisness and the dealings of it. Never thought that I would find that fascinating. Although the movie at first, was becoming confusing with the many short scenes and quick cuts to other ones, I find it interesting that it took Prince Nasir, Sid's character, halfway through the movie to clear it all for me, with his emotional lecture of what is happening and how he has plans, good plans for his country and his family and others do not. I felt like it was a good guy against the bad guy sort of thing, and feeling sad who won in the end, if you know what I mean.

I sat in the back row, in the corner, so though I tried my best I guess that part was needed for his character and how he ticks in the movie. Though, guys, did you notice near the part, when Bryan his wife, and the youngest son are at the fountain,

Anyways, what a movie!!! That's my take!

Edit: I had to say this and yes here it is, the spoiler code!

In regards to . . . by the fountain, no, I didn't notice. You've got good perception. If so, that's a neat bit of filming/storytelling. I like that sort of stuff.

With regards to your final spoiler: One has to ask why it had to happen. Is that just Hollywood? The hubby and I discussed this part of the plot. Neither of us felt that in real life the "powers that be" would have gone to that extent, not unless Prince Nasir proved in the future to be a powerful leader of the opposition. It was a nice piece of plotting, however. I just the movie. But I know I'm going to have to see it again. I suspect there was a lot more there than met the eye.

I don't think I should take all the credit to my perception, though I do love watching for this stuff, I did go on IMDB's message boards before going to the movie and read about this. The thread that spoke of it, believed it was probably a blooper. Some in the thread also believed that yeah, it was maybe a bit of fantastic movie making. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the latter,


Though I must admit that scene has me thinking, I also remarked about it in this way, because of other situations.
I wonder how cruel of it to be happening again. Though, I wonder at the other message of the film, and that's having family, and having family so close to you for such dealings as what was going on in the film. I do believe the message is hitting hard,

I think this movie has done it's job, Sancha, it has made us both think.

Yes, the producers, director, writer, et al have thoroughly succeeded in achieving their goal (and should be rewarded for it . . . hint, hint, hint ). But not if the big oil companies have anything to do with it.

I saw this film last Tuesday and it was a screening at around 1:40 pm, so I had to rush home from school to drive to the theater. I got there at around 1:30 pm and was totally surprised that the theater was COMPLETELY EMPTY. Ok, whatever. I get the whole place to myself.

Give another 5 minutes and other ppl started walking in. And I'm pretty sure everybody else in that theater was at least 10 years older than myself...

Great movie though. The ending was horrifically (is that a word?) suspense-filled and it really does make you think why some things happen the way they do... I wasn't completely at the loss at the plot like some other ppl (i.e. movie reviewers who can't seem to figure out the 'unnamed country' was Khazakstan), but it was all a bit fuzzy.

However, i found that listening to the 43 min. Q&A session on the official site was really helpful. Gaghan and Baer really clear up some of the murkier points.

The "unamed country" isn't Khazakstan - that's the country Killen snagged oil rights in that everyone else wanted and is why Connex wanted to buy them. If you'll recall, Prince Nasir sold the oil rights in his country to the Chinese.

Gaghan made a point of not naming the country to allow for more artistic freedeom. He even went so far as to avoid any cues to nationality in the clothing, as Khadija explained in another thread. Pretty clever, if you ask me.

Ahhh, that makes more sense. Thanks!

I like what one reviewer called it: "Katscanistan" . . . Kat scan i stan . . . get it?

I actually hadn't heard about this movie at all until just recently. I went and saw it. I was also surprised about the demographics. Everyone in the theater, except for me, was well over forty. Though there weren't too many people, a total of five in the who place.(Maybe because it was an early Matinee.)
I can say that I did like this movie. Syriana provokes a great deal of thought, so much so that I'm going to see it again this week.



*My Spoiler tag isn't working! The next thing is a spoiler. If a MOD could fix it for me please do. Otherwise please do not read beyond this point. Thank You.*

I have to agree with your statements here, colibri. It was a brave way for Gaghan to end that storyline, but I think it made the whole movie that much more powerful and compelling.

I just came back from watching Syriana - and I think it's brilliant.
Not only the story, the characters - but also the way, well, ..er..."everything is connected" at the end.
I think the movie has a great ensemble of actors. I think everyone can be proud to have a part in this movie.
I'm still not sure if I got everything about the storyline with Jeffrey Wright, although it made more sense in the last couple of minutes of the movie. It's one of those movies I will probably have to watch more than one time to get all the details.
I also think that the kind of quiet music was perfect. What you could hear was matched perfectly with what you could see.
Needless to say that I liked Sid.

I think everything else was already said in this thread.

Ulli

I saw Syriana today.

I´m completely speechless.
The film was better that I have expected and very shocking.

Mel is right. It is really better to wait a day until making a rewiev. The film has knock me over. I don´t know what to say.

But I think I would say tomorrow the same things as beeing posted here up to now.

Finally seen Syriana on its first day of release in the UK.

Better than I expected

Will review later.

Jude

I finally got to see Syriana yesterday and was very pleased to discover that it way better than I expected. The plot threads are complicated and you really have to concerntrate from the off to follow all the important plot points.

I was disappointed with the Jeffery Wright thread. I just could not engage with the characters and wish that the Chrisopher Plummer role had been boosted as he was an unexpected surprise for me, playing a powerful man without a conscience. I wanted so much more of him on screen.

George Clooney was a revelation, boy he has come a long way since playing Booker in Rosanne. The torture scene was shocking and in the screening I saw grown men physically wincing at the unfolding action.

Sid in my humble opinion is really maturing as an actor, it was a measured and calm performance. The character's journey was very moving and the events towards the end of the movie showed great skill from Gaghan, and even though I suspected some of the ending I still jumped out of my seat when it happened.

One downside to this movie is that I feel so powerless to change the ills of society as portrayed in this movie, short of turning down the thermostat to my heating I cannot change anything. Even my vote hard won by women who really suffered on my behalf is virtually worthless. It is a sad reflection on humanity that greed and power have superceeded us all.


Hope that my review will be read in good faith

Jude

But that is changing something. I know, I had the same reaction after I saw the film - the "that sucks, but what can I do about it?" reaction. But I thought about it for days afterward, and still think about it now, months later, and it has informed some of the choices I've made this winter. We are all responsible for our own behavior, so choosing to turn down the theromostat or walk instead of drive or buy a hybrid vehicle or use some form of alternative fuel is a step toward changing the world.

As I am brand new to this board, I've taken a little time to read all of your reviews. As a journalism and politics student in Australia, this movie has been made compulsory viewing by a large number of my lecturers. I agree with you guys, it was powerful and definately made you think a little more deeply about the sort of information we are being fed about our countries, and about other people's countries and beliefs. What I found most incredible about the whole thing was how it managed to include both the professional and personal lives of all the characters, as well as keeping the individuals' stories in perspective with the larger, more global issues. And all in two hours!

Furthermore, this movie has turned my mum and I into Sid fans!

Welcome, Firebird! You have an interesting perspective on the film, coming at it from a journalism angle. It does work well that way, now that I think about it. And kudos to your lecturers for making the film cumpulsory viewing.

Welcome to the board Firebird.

Hope that in time we will get to know each other better

Best Wishes


Jude

Welcome Firebird!

Thanks for all the shout-outs guys. Can't wait to get to know you all better too.

Yeah, my lecturers are totally into this movie. I had a international politics lecturer that was like "You want to learn about politics? Get some perspective. Go see this movie because nothing I can possibly say to you will have anywhere as much impact." The idea, I suppose, was to make us naive students see how multi-layered the issues involved are. And, I suppose, to introduce us to the fact that most people are just out there to look after themselves.

Pothos, I totally understand the feeling of helplessness that accompanies watching this film. Many people I know are similarly distressed. It seems very above all of us. But remember what Jeffery Wright's character said. The real client is the American people. So if the citizens are informed and understand the issues, or are at least willing to understand the issues, then that in its is a major step forward. The next step, I suppose, is to let the politicians and people in positions of power know that this is unacceptable, and that we don't want them to do these things in our name. The worst part of the movie for me was If more people are aware of incidents such as these, and deem them as unacceptable, then we have progressed. So don't despair!!!!

Thanks again for the wonderful welcome!



Edited to add spoiler tags. ~Mods

Exactly!