Syriana (Widescreen Edition)

Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
by Stephen Gaghan

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DVD details

Actor: Amanda Peet, Amr Waked, George Clooney, Kayvan Novak, Matt Damon
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: George Clooney
Writer: Stephen Gaghan
Producer: Ben Cosgrove
Producer: Elizabeth Kirkscey
Producer: Georgia Kacandes
Producer: Jeff Skoll
Writer: Robert Baer
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Arabic (Original Language); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Persian (Original Language); Urdu (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 126 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-06-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Warner Home Video

DVD Reviews of Syriana (Widescreen Edition)

DVD Review: Dud. Dizzy. Dull.
Summary: 1 Stars

BEWARE! This movie was filmed using that horrible shaky-camera method. The photographer constantly moves the camera, swiping it from one actor to another. Even when the lens is focused on one person, the camera jerks slightly up and down, left and right. It is nauseating and distracting.

Add to that a murky, dark and muddled plot about oil - a plot that isn't broken by the slightest bit of humor - and you're left with a migraine, a nauseous stomach and a case of the boredoms.

There are also too many subtitles to read. The print is small and it doesn't remain long enough on the screen. If I wanted to read that much, I'd pick up a book.

I can't even comment on the movie's content. I was lost and confused. I couldn't possibly watch it again as others have suggested. I'm all out of migraine medication.

DVD Review: Good Movie. Worth Watching More Than Once.
Summary: 4 Stars

I prefer movies that focus more on characters with events
as the background. Not the case with Syriana.
Very involved. Worth watching more than once. Not really
hard to follow, but easy to miss subtle points during the
first viewing.
Hard to rate. If you like movies like Babel, you'll probably
enjoy this one.

DVD Review: A Waste of Time
Summary: 1 Stars

Normally I wouldn't take the time to write a review, but I hated this film so much I had to. It's long, it's boring, and it's hard to follow. I kept watching thinking that the film would "pick up" at some point, but before I knew it, the credits were rolling. I disliked this movie so much that I threw it in the garbage as soon as I took it out of my DVD player. I wish I had the 128 minutes of my life back that I wasted watching this. Don't waste your time.

DVD Review: 2.5 stars out of 4
Summary: 3 Stars

The Bottom Line:

Syriana seems to be one of those movies you simply have to watch more than once, for upon viewing it I was confused about several of the storylines and characters; it feels a bit harsh to give the movie a negative recommendation on the basis of it being so convoluted, but remember that Traffic was similarly constructed yet one attentive viewing of it could lead to comprehension.

DVD Review: The truth always hurts...
Summary: 5 Stars

Looking at the negative reviews about this movie, all I can think is that the truth really does hurt...

This movie gives you a clear link that although it can be called "conspiracy theory", it's not beyond comprehension. The link is very simple and clear.

If you like "conspiracy theories" than this is definately a great movie.

Description of Syriana (Widescreen Edition)

Big oil means big money. Very big money. And that fact unleashes corruption that stretches from Houston to Washington to the Mideast and ensnares industrialists, princes, spies, politicos, oilfield laborers and terrorists in a deadly, deceptive web of move and countermove. This lightning-paced, whip-smart action thriller grips your mind and nerves with an intensity that doesn't let go for an instant.

DVD Features:
Featurette
Interviews

Syriana is an oil-based soap opera set against the world of global oil cartels. It is to the oil industry as Traffic was to the drug trade (no surprise, since writer/director Stephen Gaghan wrote the screenplay to Traffic): a sprawling attempt to portray the vast political, business, social, and personal implications of a societal addiction, in this case, oil. A major merger between two of the world's largest oil companies reveals ethical dilemmas for the lawyer charged with making the deal (Jeffrey Wright), and major global implications beyond the obvious; a CIA operative (George Clooney) discovers the truth about his work, and the people he works for; a young oil broker (Matt Damon) encounters personal tragedy, then partners with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig) attempting to build a new economy for his people, only to find he's opposed by powers far beyond his control. Meanwhile, disenfranchised Pakistani youths are lured into terrorism by a radical Islamic cleric. And that's just the start. As in Traffic, in one way or another all of the characters' fates are tied to each other, whether they realize it or not, though the connections are sometimes tenuous. While Syriana is basically a good film with timely resonance, it can't quite seem to measure up to Gaghan's ambitious vision and it very nearly collapses under the weight of its many storylines. Fortunately they are resolved skillfully enough to keep the film from going under in the end. To some viewers, Syriana will seem like an unfocused and over-loaded film that goes, all at once, everywhere and nowhere. Others will find it to be an important work earnestly exploring major issues. In either case, it's a film that deserves to be taken seriously, and it's likely to be one that will be talked about for a long time to come. --Dan Vancini

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