Friday, December 02, 2005
Must Watch Movie: Syriana
I watched Syriana a couple of days back. For me, this is definitely the movie of the year. And I have watched a lot of good movies this year. In my mind, there is simply no way to write a review for Syriana that captures the complexity of the movie, so I won't even bother. So let me put it this way: if you're into geopolitics or the role of oil in the world economy or read the Economist regularly or loved the movie Traffic, Syriana will blow you away. Directed by Stephen Gaghan (who wrote "Traffic"), the movie is loosely based on ex-CIA agent Robert Baer's book See No Evil. The movie consists of many seemingly unconnected story lines, set mostly in the middle east (the theme is oil, after all), which collide in spectacular fashion in the last 1/3rd of the movie.
There are many things I loved about the movie. First, it does not dumb down at all despite having mega stars like George Clooney and Matt Damon in the cast. Second, the amorality of the movie is a lot closer to the how the real world operates than the black/white world the Bush administration seems to believe in. Third, it provides the first realistic portrayal of the middle east I've seen in a maninstream movie, from MDMA parties in Teheran to the horrible bonded labour in the Persian Gulf. In this context, it is worth noting that the film is unapolegetic about the frequent use of Urdu, Farsi, Arabic etc. Fourth, it teases out the difference between Wahabbi Islam and Islam practised elsewhere rather well. I could on and on, but I guess I'll stop and point you to A.O.Scott's review in the Times. Watch it.
There are many things I loved about the movie. First, it does not dumb down at all despite having mega stars like George Clooney and Matt Damon in the cast. Second, the amorality of the movie is a lot closer to the how the real world operates than the black/white world the Bush administration seems to believe in. Third, it provides the first realistic portrayal of the middle east I've seen in a maninstream movie, from MDMA parties in Teheran to the horrible bonded labour in the Persian Gulf. In this context, it is worth noting that the film is unapolegetic about the frequent use of Urdu, Farsi, Arabic etc. Fourth, it teases out the difference between Wahabbi Islam and Islam practised elsewhere rather well. I could on and on, but I guess I'll stop and point you to A.O.Scott's review in the Times. Watch it.
