Syriana 12/11/05

This movie was confusing and half the time I didn't know what was going on. Only at about halfway or whatever through the movie did I get some inkling of something. I wish I had gotten more, I wish this because the subject is so interesting. Wouldn't we all want to know something more about the oil business. But this movie never stops to explain. It shows lots of places, lots of people, lots of situations. There's a story about a corporation merger, a dynastic struggle in an Arab nation, the training of a muslim jihadist, a betrayed CIA agent. I wish for once, they would pause the constant setting switches and have two people sit down and have a long talk about what's going on. But again, this never happens. Instead the characters make small talk, nods, and whispers. And that's the reasons why the movie fails. A movie may have all the materials for success, but if the audience doesn't understand what's going and why, they won't become emotionally involved. At some points in the story, I'm sure what was happening was important, but I didn't know why. I was shut out of the story, and if that's what the writer/director has in mind, then I'm not too impressed. (A shame really, it looked like a good movie)