Syriana

Syriana is an ambitious and sober political thriller set in the Middle East, and in particular in the fictional oil-rich state of Syriana. The old king will soon hand over the throne to one of his sons, and for most of those with economic and political interests in the region it is not a matter of indifference whether the choice falls on the progressive Prince Nasir or his pleasure-seeking and more traditionally minded younger brother.

The CIA agent Bob Barnes is one of those operating in the area, and it is only very late in his career that he begins to question the orders he has so far carried out to the letter. Now it may be just about too late. The young financial analyst Bryan Woodman is enthusiastic about Prince Nasir's readiness to make changes, and he remains an unsuspecting pawn in the great political and economic game. Big interests are at stake, and none of those involved keeps to the straight and narrow. Most parties are in fact prepared to do just about anything, including murder.

Syriana tries to give a realistic impression of these very tangled affairs, but a huge cast of characters and a tendency to withhold important information from the audience make it very hard to grasp what is actually going on. That may well be the point. The game for the oil billions is complicated and impenetrable, and the film does nothing to simplify it. There are no leading roles here and therefore no one to identify with. The film certainly does not pander to its audience, but it could do with a bit less of that.