Syriana

For those of you who haven't seen this 2005 political suspense film it might be worth watching. I had been hesitant to see a film with political undertones but this one didn't seem to push one way or the other. It was simply a film about the politics of the situations each of the main characters was involved in.

The film revolves around a series of stories starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Jeffrey Wright. Clooney plays Bob Barnes, a CIA operative who is being pulled between the company line and his sense of duty as he sorts out a conspiracy. Damon is cast as Bryan Woodman, a financial adviser who plays his personal tragedy into working major oil deals in the middle east. Wright plays Bennett Holiday who becomes an unwitting participant in a deal with shady connections. With each of the stories playing out individually it seems that a collision is inevitable.

I truly enjoyed this film. It shared a structure very similar to Babel with it's multiple concurrent story lines. Each of the stories seemed connected but it wasn't completely clear how things were going to unite in the end. I would have to say that this film really opened my eyes to Jeffrey Wright. I had seen him in two Bond films with Daniel Craig but this was a better level of acting. This Golden Globe winner has also been featured in Cadillac Records and Source Code, two films I am more likely to see now.

I would suggest this film to anyone who loves suspense. It has great acting, a great soundtrack, and an amazing story. This film earned a 3.7 out of 5 stars from me.