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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
Great movie that demands repeat viewing
|
Movies like this, that have multiple storylines that eventually coincide (though you may not pick up on it initially) can easily slip into the 'I lost interest in it' category...not this one. The storyline is topical and fascinating, the situations of the 3 main characters is believable and well executed. There is a quality about this movie that motivated me to keep watching, even though I wasn't sure where it would end up. Enough things sort of slipped by me , that a repeat watch will still be entertaining...something I very, very rarely care to do. Even if your opposed to the premise, or think it too fictitious or too much of a writers stretch at 'showing things how they really are', in terms of the US gov't's role in oil, etc there is no denying that this is quality movie-making.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AH5ZTFM6HHLB2K6BPAOV6CPZEEVA
| 1,153,374,515,000 | 3 |
Movies like this, that have multiple storylines that eventually coincide though you may not pick up on it initially can easily slip into the 'I lost interest in it' category...not this one. The storyline is topical and fascinating, the situations of the 3 main characters is believable and well executed. There is a quality about this movie that motivated me to keep watching, even though I wasn't sure where it would end up. Enough things sort of slipped by me , that a repeat watch will still be entertaining...something I very, very rarely care to do. Even if your opposed to the premise, or think it too fictitious or too much of a writers stretch at 'showing things how they really are', in terms of the US gov't's role in oil, etc there is no denying that this is quality moviemaking.
| 790 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
Great movie that demands repeat viewing
|
Movies like this, that have multiple storylines that eventually coincide (though you may not pick up on it initially) can easily slip into the 'I lost interest in it' category...not this one. The storyline is topical and fascinating, the situations of the 3 main characters is believable and well executed. There is a quality about this movie that motivated me to keep watching, even though I wasn't sure where it would end up. Enough things sort of slipped by me , that a repeat watch will still be entertaining...something I very, very rarely care to do. Even if your opposed to the premise, or think it too fictitious or too much of a writers stretch at 'showing things how they really are', in terms of the US gov't's role in oil, etc there is no denying that this is quality movie-making.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AH5ZTFM6HHLB2K6BPAOV6CPZEEVA
| 1,153,374,515,000 | 3 |
Movies like this, that have multiple storylines that eventually coincide though you may not pick up on it initially can easily slip into the 'I lost interest in it' category...not this one. The storyline is topical and fascinating, the situations of the 3 main characters is believable and well executed. There is a quality about this movie that motivated me to keep watching, even though I wasn't sure where it would end up. Enough things sort of slipped by me , that a repeat watch will still be entertaining...something I very, very rarely care to do. Even if your opposed to the premise, or think it too fictitious or too much of a writers stretch at 'showing things how they really are', in terms of the US gov't's role in oil, etc there is no denying that this is quality moviemaking.
| 790 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Please stop making shaky movies!
|
Is there a tripod shortage in this world? Why is everbody and his brother making hand held movies that shake so much that it makes my dizzy? Also, why do people go for these disjointed movies? Does it make people feel smart that they can understand the story? This movie reminded my of Babel. Both movies sucked.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AF7XBU26WKIRE3VBK6QGC57VQQDQ
| 1,210,646,105,000 | 1 |
Is there a tripod shortage in this world? Why is everbody and his brother making hand held movies that shake so much that it makes my dizzy? Also, why do people go for these disjointed movies? Does it make people feel smart that they can understand the story? This movie reminded my of Babel. Both movies sucked.
| 312 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Please stop making shaky movies!
|
Is there a tripod shortage in this world? Why is everbody and his brother making hand held movies that shake so much that it makes my dizzy? Also, why do people go for these disjointed movies? Does it make people feel smart that they can understand the story? This movie reminded my of Babel. Both movies sucked.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AF7XBU26WKIRE3VBK6QGC57VQQDQ
| 1,210,646,105,000 | 1 |
Is there a tripod shortage in this world? Why is everbody and his brother making hand held movies that shake so much that it makes my dizzy? Also, why do people go for these disjointed movies? Does it make people feel smart that they can understand the story? This movie reminded my of Babel. Both movies sucked.
| 312 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
A little hard to follow.
|
I've seen this film a few times. It's hard to figure out what's going on, but when you do, the circumstances are alarming if you consider it might be a reflection of reality. Fiction? Yes, but maybe not far from the truth.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGOTWUDCIZL32HJPYYA62OALOHQQ
| 1,581,286,659,578 | 0 |
I've seen this film a few times. It's hard to figure out what's going on, but when you do, the circumstances are alarming if you consider it might be a reflection of reality. Fiction? Yes, but maybe not far from the truth.
| 222 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
A little hard to follow.
|
I've seen this film a few times. It's hard to figure out what's going on, but when you do, the circumstances are alarming if you consider it might be a reflection of reality. Fiction? Yes, but maybe not far from the truth.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGOTWUDCIZL32HJPYYA62OALOHQQ
| 1,581,286,659,578 | 0 |
I've seen this film a few times. It's hard to figure out what's going on, but when you do, the circumstances are alarming if you consider it might be a reflection of reality. Fiction? Yes, but maybe not far from the truth.
| 222 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
A Waste of Time
|
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.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGHTLSNX6OBLPV3E4YL6NBAQYDGA
| 1,236,387,092,000 | 1 |
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.
| 458 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
A Waste of Time
|
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.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGHTLSNX6OBLPV3E4YL6NBAQYDGA
| 1,236,387,092,000 | 1 |
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.
| 458 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
"Innocent until Investigated..."
|
Following in the footsteps of The Constant Gardener and the Lord of War, the film sheds light (as it should do) on the reality of major oil companies' dirty dealings in the Middle East, Central Asia, and around the world, with the support of various governments... More importantly it does a good job of showing who is, more often than not, behind the various plots, schemes, and wars, not to mention how corrupt the world has become, and how successions often occur in various parts around the world. The quote: "Corruption is why we win,"says it all.<br /><br />Syriana brings to the screen a set of parallel stories (four to be exact) that take place, involving an unlikely group of people who are linked to each other in various ways.<br /><br />To a certain extent, the setup is rather similar to the movie Crash.<br /><br />George Clooney, Alexander Siddig (from Star Trek DS9!), Matt Damon, and the rest of the cast carry out their performances very well.<br /><br />The major setbacks are in relation to:<br /><br />1) The annoyingly politically correct Woodman family, especially the wife!<br /><br />2) The Committee for the Liberation of Iran is not necessarily a bad thing.<br /><br />In a nutshell, it's probably not a movie you would want to add to your collection, but it will provide for an evening's entertainment. 3.5 Stars
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AECIJTZCBIXPUC5AIW6LYW5TUZGQ
| 1,154,642,242,000 | 1 |
Following in the footsteps of The Constant Gardener and the Lord of War, the film sheds light as it should do on the reality of major oil companies' dirty dealings in the Middle East, Central Asia, and around the world, with the support of various governments... More importantly it does a good job of showing who is, more often than not, behind the various plots, schemes, and wars, not to mention how corrupt the world has become, and how successions often occur in various parts around the world. The quote Corruption is why we win,says it all.br br Syriana brings to the screen a set of parallel stories four to be exact that take place, involving an unlikely group of people who are linked to each other in various ways.br br To a certain extent, the setup is rather similar to the movie Crash.br br George Clooney, Alexander Siddig from Star Trek DS9!, Matt Damon, and the rest of the cast carry out their performances very well.br br The major setbacks are in relation tobr br 1 The annoyingly politically correct Woodman family, especially the wife!br br 2 The Committee for the Liberation of Iran is not necessarily a bad thing.br br In a nutshell, it's probably not a movie you would want to add to your collection, but it will provide for an evening's entertainment. 3.5 Stars
| 1,287 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
"Innocent until Investigated..."
|
Following in the footsteps of The Constant Gardener and the Lord of War, the film sheds light (as it should do) on the reality of major oil companies' dirty dealings in the Middle East, Central Asia, and around the world, with the support of various governments... More importantly it does a good job of showing who is, more often than not, behind the various plots, schemes, and wars, not to mention how corrupt the world has become, and how successions often occur in various parts around the world. The quote: "Corruption is why we win,"says it all.<br /><br />Syriana brings to the screen a set of parallel stories (four to be exact) that take place, involving an unlikely group of people who are linked to each other in various ways.<br /><br />To a certain extent, the setup is rather similar to the movie Crash.<br /><br />George Clooney, Alexander Siddig (from Star Trek DS9!), Matt Damon, and the rest of the cast carry out their performances very well.<br /><br />The major setbacks are in relation to:<br /><br />1) The annoyingly politically correct Woodman family, especially the wife!<br /><br />2) The Committee for the Liberation of Iran is not necessarily a bad thing.<br /><br />In a nutshell, it's probably not a movie you would want to add to your collection, but it will provide for an evening's entertainment. 3.5 Stars
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AECIJTZCBIXPUC5AIW6LYW5TUZGQ
| 1,154,642,242,000 | 1 |
Following in the footsteps of The Constant Gardener and the Lord of War, the film sheds light as it should do on the reality of major oil companies' dirty dealings in the Middle East, Central Asia, and around the world, with the support of various governments... More importantly it does a good job of showing who is, more often than not, behind the various plots, schemes, and wars, not to mention how corrupt the world has become, and how successions often occur in various parts around the world. The quote Corruption is why we win,says it all.br br Syriana brings to the screen a set of parallel stories four to be exact that take place, involving an unlikely group of people who are linked to each other in various ways.br br To a certain extent, the setup is rather similar to the movie Crash.br br George Clooney, Alexander Siddig from Star Trek DS9!, Matt Damon, and the rest of the cast carry out their performances very well.br br The major setbacks are in relation tobr br 1 The annoyingly politically correct Woodman family, especially the wife!br br 2 The Committee for the Liberation of Iran is not necessarily a bad thing.br br In a nutshell, it's probably not a movie you would want to add to your collection, but it will provide for an evening's entertainment. 3.5 Stars
| 1,287 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
WHAT THE F IS SYRIANA
|
This is a well acted sequence of stories that intermerge; it's also one of the most cynical movies I have ever viewed. I mean get real, we all know that some nefarious dealings go on and that America has not stayed to worlds most powerful nation by sitting on its hands, but this is the limit..I mean is this what Hollywood thinks of this nation?!!! and if it is, how on Earth can they live here? We are shown to be Oil starved Imperialists who will stop at nothing to control the world...it's like something out of James Bond, except instead of SPECTOR you have spooks from American intelligence. The movie definitely has an agenda and that really mars the end product, I actually liked many things about the movie, but it had too many stories going on at once and had a definite ax to grind. A friend told me I'd have to watch it closely to understand what exactly was going on, but I really didnt find that to be the case, I totally understood what was going on, it was crystal clear to me. I'd probably recommend this movie, because the acting is top notch and the story, though cynical, does at times resonate, it's just a shamne it is so overbearing in its point of view, really there was no need for a hammer, a feather will do; we can use it to swipe away the blowback.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHDLDCRRNGEYRY5LEXFAHVTZ46HA
| 1,203,827,593,000 | 5 |
This is a well acted sequence of stories that intermerge it's also one of the most cynical movies I have ever viewed. I mean get real, we all know that some nefarious dealings go on and that America has not stayed to worlds most powerful nation by sitting on its hands, but this is the limit..I mean is this what Hollywood thinks of this nation?!!! and if it is, how on Earth can they live here? We are shown to be Oil starved Imperialists who will stop at nothing to control the world...it's like something out of James Bond, except instead of SPECTOR you have spooks from American intelligence. The movie definitely has an agenda and that really mars the end product, I actually liked many things about the movie, but it had too many stories going on at once and had a definite ax to grind. A friend told me I'd have to watch it closely to understand what exactly was going on, but I really didnt find that to be the case, I totally understood what was going on, it was crystal clear to me. I'd probably recommend this movie, because the acting is top notch and the story, though cynical, does at times resonate, it's just a shamne it is so overbearing in its point of view, really there was no need for a hammer, a feather will do we can use it to swipe away the blowback.
| 1,275 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
WHAT THE F IS SYRIANA
|
This is a well acted sequence of stories that intermerge; it's also one of the most cynical movies I have ever viewed. I mean get real, we all know that some nefarious dealings go on and that America has not stayed to worlds most powerful nation by sitting on its hands, but this is the limit..I mean is this what Hollywood thinks of this nation?!!! and if it is, how on Earth can they live here? We are shown to be Oil starved Imperialists who will stop at nothing to control the world...it's like something out of James Bond, except instead of SPECTOR you have spooks from American intelligence. The movie definitely has an agenda and that really mars the end product, I actually liked many things about the movie, but it had too many stories going on at once and had a definite ax to grind. A friend told me I'd have to watch it closely to understand what exactly was going on, but I really didnt find that to be the case, I totally understood what was going on, it was crystal clear to me. I'd probably recommend this movie, because the acting is top notch and the story, though cynical, does at times resonate, it's just a shamne it is so overbearing in its point of view, really there was no need for a hammer, a feather will do; we can use it to swipe away the blowback.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHDLDCRRNGEYRY5LEXFAHVTZ46HA
| 1,203,827,593,000 | 5 |
This is a well acted sequence of stories that intermerge it's also one of the most cynical movies I have ever viewed. I mean get real, we all know that some nefarious dealings go on and that America has not stayed to worlds most powerful nation by sitting on its hands, but this is the limit..I mean is this what Hollywood thinks of this nation?!!! and if it is, how on Earth can they live here? We are shown to be Oil starved Imperialists who will stop at nothing to control the world...it's like something out of James Bond, except instead of SPECTOR you have spooks from American intelligence. The movie definitely has an agenda and that really mars the end product, I actually liked many things about the movie, but it had too many stories going on at once and had a definite ax to grind. A friend told me I'd have to watch it closely to understand what exactly was going on, but I really didnt find that to be the case, I totally understood what was going on, it was crystal clear to me. I'd probably recommend this movie, because the acting is top notch and the story, though cynical, does at times resonate, it's just a shamne it is so overbearing in its point of view, really there was no need for a hammer, a feather will do we can use it to swipe away the blowback.
| 1,275 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
gobbledygook & self-righteousness & pretentious twaddle make for a terrible movie
|
there is a certain new-fangled school of screenwriting that thinks that if you put a bunch of characters on screen and have them make no sense of one another but sound as if theyre being profound, then they ARE. the prime example of this in recent years is the abominable "crash", but at least that was (somewhat) assuaged by strong performances. this -- arguably the worst "mainstream" motion picture of 2005 -- is redeemed by nothing. an excruciatingly long 2 hours, and as much as i (usually) enjoy george clooney, i might never forgive him for this drek.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHQIPC23INJLPBHAQQ3W4KFO7EBA
| 1,162,877,849,000 | 7 |
there is a certain newfangled school of screenwriting that thinks that if you put a bunch of characters on screen and have them make no sense of one another but sound as if theyre being profound, then they ARE. the prime example of this in recent years is the abominable crash, but at least that was somewhat assuaged by strong performances. this arguably the worst mainstream motion picture of 2005 is redeemed by nothing. an excruciatingly long 2 hours, and as much as i usually enjoy george clooney, i might never forgive him for this drek.
| 543 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
gobbledygook & self-righteousness & pretentious twaddle make for a terrible movie
|
there is a certain new-fangled school of screenwriting that thinks that if you put a bunch of characters on screen and have them make no sense of one another but sound as if theyre being profound, then they ARE. the prime example of this in recent years is the abominable "crash", but at least that was (somewhat) assuaged by strong performances. this -- arguably the worst "mainstream" motion picture of 2005 -- is redeemed by nothing. an excruciatingly long 2 hours, and as much as i (usually) enjoy george clooney, i might never forgive him for this drek.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHQIPC23INJLPBHAQQ3W4KFO7EBA
| 1,162,877,849,000 | 7 |
there is a certain newfangled school of screenwriting that thinks that if you put a bunch of characters on screen and have them make no sense of one another but sound as if theyre being profound, then they ARE. the prime example of this in recent years is the abominable crash, but at least that was somewhat assuaged by strong performances. this arguably the worst mainstream motion picture of 2005 is redeemed by nothing. an excruciatingly long 2 hours, and as much as i usually enjoy george clooney, i might never forgive him for this drek.
| 543 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
Get rid of our reliance on oil!
|
This movie tries to touch all the mideast bases . . . the importance of oil, decadence of present rulers, treating oil field workers practically as slaves, the frustration of change, the draw of terrorism, and, of course, the complicity of the shodowy agencies of the US government in all of this. It was not as much of a story as a montage of the factors derived from our appetite for oil.<br /><br />And which is the right side to be on . . . a Prince appears to have the answer, but that answer might be worse for the US than the status quo. So, in the end, there is the same morass as in the beginning, and we are left with trying to figure out what the next step is. The big picure answer is to eliminate our reliance on oil . . maybe that is the real message of this movie.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AF72H3QC7H57ZTZIF6T7KY6INHCQ
| 1,152,030,599,000 | 4 |
This movie tries to touch all the mideast bases . . . the importance of oil, decadence of present rulers, treating oil field workers practically as slaves, the frustration of change, the draw of terrorism, and, of course, the complicity of the shodowy agencies of the US government in all of this. It was not as much of a story as a montage of the factors derived from our appetite for oil.br br And which is the right side to be on . . . a Prince appears to have the answer, but that answer might be worse for the US than the status quo. So, in the end, there is the same morass as in the beginning, and we are left with trying to figure out what the next step is. The big picure answer is to eliminate our reliance on oil . . maybe that is the real message of this movie.
| 773 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
Get rid of our reliance on oil!
|
This movie tries to touch all the mideast bases . . . the importance of oil, decadence of present rulers, treating oil field workers practically as slaves, the frustration of change, the draw of terrorism, and, of course, the complicity of the shodowy agencies of the US government in all of this. It was not as much of a story as a montage of the factors derived from our appetite for oil.<br /><br />And which is the right side to be on . . . a Prince appears to have the answer, but that answer might be worse for the US than the status quo. So, in the end, there is the same morass as in the beginning, and we are left with trying to figure out what the next step is. The big picure answer is to eliminate our reliance on oil . . maybe that is the real message of this movie.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AF72H3QC7H57ZTZIF6T7KY6INHCQ
| 1,152,030,599,000 | 4 |
This movie tries to touch all the mideast bases . . . the importance of oil, decadence of present rulers, treating oil field workers practically as slaves, the frustration of change, the draw of terrorism, and, of course, the complicity of the shodowy agencies of the US government in all of this. It was not as much of a story as a montage of the factors derived from our appetite for oil.br br And which is the right side to be on . . . a Prince appears to have the answer, but that answer might be worse for the US than the status quo. So, in the end, there is the same morass as in the beginning, and we are left with trying to figure out what the next step is. The big picure answer is to eliminate our reliance on oil . . maybe that is the real message of this movie.
| 773 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
My Aging Attention Span is Too Long ...
|
... for this film and for others of the "quick cut" fashion. I have a bad habit of thinking while I watch; with these 6-second segments, by the time I've thought of what possible narrative element or suggestive symbolism might be intended, I've blinked/blanked through the next segment. It's a kind of Eurotropic "manga;" if you think you're following the story, you're probably making it up for yourself. Yes, I can indeed sympathize with the many one-star reviewers ...<br /><br />... but it's not THAT bad. It's "impressionism" applied to world affairs. It's a simple three-strand braid of narration by implication, in which there's 1) a bad guy whose heroic impulses are all too late, 2) there are fervent idealists with hopelessly bad ideals, and there are 3) corrupt despicable murderous cynical ugly-spirited baaaad guys, who of course will get their way up to a point. I'll let you, dear reader, identify those three plot figures for yourself.<br /><br />WARNING: Don't take sides! You'll lose one way or the other.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEB3334PRZKEQMRTCM7NJUDEV6MQ
| 1,372,890,629,000 | 0 |
... for this film and for others of the 34quick cut34 fashion. I have a bad habit of thinking while I watch with these 6second segments, by the time I've thought of what possible narrative element or suggestive symbolism might be intended, I've blinkedblanked through the next segment. It's a kind of Eurotropic 34manga34 if you think you're following the story, you're probably making it up for yourself. Yes, I can indeed sympathize with the many onestar reviewers ...br br ... but it's not THAT bad. It's 34impressionism34 applied to world affairs. It's a simple threestrand braid of narration by implication, in which there's 1 a bad guy whose heroic impulses are all too late, 2 there are fervent idealists with hopelessly bad ideals, and there are 3 corrupt despicable murderous cynical uglyspirited baaaad guys, who of course will get their way up to a point. I'll let you, dear reader, identify those three plot figures for yourself.br br WARNING Don't take sides! You'll lose one way or the other.
| 1,006 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
My Aging Attention Span is Too Long ...
|
... for this film and for others of the "quick cut" fashion. I have a bad habit of thinking while I watch; with these 6-second segments, by the time I've thought of what possible narrative element or suggestive symbolism might be intended, I've blinked/blanked through the next segment. It's a kind of Eurotropic "manga;" if you think you're following the story, you're probably making it up for yourself. Yes, I can indeed sympathize with the many one-star reviewers ...<br /><br />... but it's not THAT bad. It's "impressionism" applied to world affairs. It's a simple three-strand braid of narration by implication, in which there's 1) a bad guy whose heroic impulses are all too late, 2) there are fervent idealists with hopelessly bad ideals, and there are 3) corrupt despicable murderous cynical ugly-spirited baaaad guys, who of course will get their way up to a point. I'll let you, dear reader, identify those three plot figures for yourself.<br /><br />WARNING: Don't take sides! You'll lose one way or the other.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEB3334PRZKEQMRTCM7NJUDEV6MQ
| 1,372,890,629,000 | 0 |
... for this film and for others of the 34quick cut34 fashion. I have a bad habit of thinking while I watch with these 6second segments, by the time I've thought of what possible narrative element or suggestive symbolism might be intended, I've blinkedblanked through the next segment. It's a kind of Eurotropic 34manga34 if you think you're following the story, you're probably making it up for yourself. Yes, I can indeed sympathize with the many onestar reviewers ...br br ... but it's not THAT bad. It's 34impressionism34 applied to world affairs. It's a simple threestrand braid of narration by implication, in which there's 1 a bad guy whose heroic impulses are all too late, 2 there are fervent idealists with hopelessly bad ideals, and there are 3 corrupt despicable murderous cynical uglyspirited baaaad guys, who of course will get their way up to a point. I'll let you, dear reader, identify those three plot figures for yourself.br br WARNING Don't take sides! You'll lose one way or the other.
| 1,006 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Gagging on Gaghan
|
Holy cow! Who pieced this film together? Dr. Frankenstein? It's as if two thirds of the movie was cut out before it got to production. Lots of logistical gaps and undefined characters left me confused at best. What the hell is Matt Damon even doing in this movie? His character was pointless and had no bearing on the plot. The young prosecutor (I guess) and his hapless father; what was the significance? Even Clooney's character at the end, waving the white shirt, had me expecting him to do or say something to save the prince, but instead, nothing! Bizzare...<br /><br />In two hours I saw hints of Traffic, Clear and Present Danger, Three Kings and The Insider in this movie. But what a lousy editing job. It's a mess. I have nothing more to say.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFFKFDQNGLNZD3VBCWSOELP2RD5A
| 1,164,940,437,000 | 6 |
Holy cow! Who pieced this film together? Dr. Frankenstein? It's as if two thirds of the movie was cut out before it got to production. Lots of logistical gaps and undefined characters left me confused at best. What the hell is Matt Damon even doing in this movie? His character was pointless and had no bearing on the plot. The young prosecutor I guess and his hapless father what was the significance? Even Clooney's character at the end, waving the white shirt, had me expecting him to do or say something to save the prince, but instead, nothing! Bizzare...br br In two hours I saw hints of Traffic, Clear and Present Danger, Three Kings and The Insider in this movie. But what a lousy editing job. It's a mess. I have nothing more to say.
| 742 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Gagging on Gaghan
|
Holy cow! Who pieced this film together? Dr. Frankenstein? It's as if two thirds of the movie was cut out before it got to production. Lots of logistical gaps and undefined characters left me confused at best. What the hell is Matt Damon even doing in this movie? His character was pointless and had no bearing on the plot. The young prosecutor (I guess) and his hapless father; what was the significance? Even Clooney's character at the end, waving the white shirt, had me expecting him to do or say something to save the prince, but instead, nothing! Bizzare...<br /><br />In two hours I saw hints of Traffic, Clear and Present Danger, Three Kings and The Insider in this movie. But what a lousy editing job. It's a mess. I have nothing more to say.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFFKFDQNGLNZD3VBCWSOELP2RD5A
| 1,164,940,437,000 | 6 |
Holy cow! Who pieced this film together? Dr. Frankenstein? It's as if two thirds of the movie was cut out before it got to production. Lots of logistical gaps and undefined characters left me confused at best. What the hell is Matt Damon even doing in this movie? His character was pointless and had no bearing on the plot. The young prosecutor I guess and his hapless father what was the significance? Even Clooney's character at the end, waving the white shirt, had me expecting him to do or say something to save the prince, but instead, nothing! Bizzare...br br In two hours I saw hints of Traffic, Clear and Present Danger, Three Kings and The Insider in this movie. But what a lousy editing job. It's a mess. I have nothing more to say.
| 742 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Under rated film Nails it.
|
They nailed it here. Behind the facade of polite manners, crisply ironed suits, dark restaurants, and spotless white robes, those in power know the real story. This is about the ruthless pursuit of power, the people who know the score, how they manipulate almost everyone else, and the consequences.<br /><br />Intelligent and well considered. This is the first time I'd heard Mossedeq mentioned on TV, Radio or Movies despite the fact that Mossedeq is the pivotal character in the struggle for oil in the Middle East.<br /><br />As others have pointed out, the story is complex and hard to follow, just like real life.<br /><br />As Clooney points out, the best character actors in Hollywood all wanted to be in this film, and they picked the best, so although few characters are well developed, they are all VERY believable. The lust for power, bubbles palpably under the surface of most of them, and the Faustian bargains they knowingly make are ugly.<br /><br />If this movie doesn't scare you and make you fear for your children nothing will.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFGGPEYVU3VE44GVN7CJAZ6N6C4Q
| 1,215,650,803,000 | 3 |
They nailed it here. Behind the facade of polite manners, crisply ironed suits, dark restaurants, and spotless white robes, those in power know the real story. This is about the ruthless pursuit of power, the people who know the score, how they manipulate almost everyone else, and the consequences.br br Intelligent and well considered. This is the first time I'd heard Mossedeq mentioned on TV, Radio or Movies despite the fact that Mossedeq is the pivotal character in the struggle for oil in the Middle East.br br As others have pointed out, the story is complex and hard to follow, just like real life.br br As Clooney points out, the best character actors in Hollywood all wanted to be in this film, and they picked the best, so although few characters are well developed, they are all VERY believable. The lust for power, bubbles palpably under the surface of most of them, and the Faustian bargains they knowingly make are ugly.br br If this movie doesn't scare you and make you fear for your children nothing will.
| 1,023 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Under rated film Nails it.
|
They nailed it here. Behind the facade of polite manners, crisply ironed suits, dark restaurants, and spotless white robes, those in power know the real story. This is about the ruthless pursuit of power, the people who know the score, how they manipulate almost everyone else, and the consequences.<br /><br />Intelligent and well considered. This is the first time I'd heard Mossedeq mentioned on TV, Radio or Movies despite the fact that Mossedeq is the pivotal character in the struggle for oil in the Middle East.<br /><br />As others have pointed out, the story is complex and hard to follow, just like real life.<br /><br />As Clooney points out, the best character actors in Hollywood all wanted to be in this film, and they picked the best, so although few characters are well developed, they are all VERY believable. The lust for power, bubbles palpably under the surface of most of them, and the Faustian bargains they knowingly make are ugly.<br /><br />If this movie doesn't scare you and make you fear for your children nothing will.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFGGPEYVU3VE44GVN7CJAZ6N6C4Q
| 1,215,650,803,000 | 3 |
They nailed it here. Behind the facade of polite manners, crisply ironed suits, dark restaurants, and spotless white robes, those in power know the real story. This is about the ruthless pursuit of power, the people who know the score, how they manipulate almost everyone else, and the consequences.br br Intelligent and well considered. This is the first time I'd heard Mossedeq mentioned on TV, Radio or Movies despite the fact that Mossedeq is the pivotal character in the struggle for oil in the Middle East.br br As others have pointed out, the story is complex and hard to follow, just like real life.br br As Clooney points out, the best character actors in Hollywood all wanted to be in this film, and they picked the best, so although few characters are well developed, they are all VERY believable. The lust for power, bubbles palpably under the surface of most of them, and the Faustian bargains they knowingly make are ugly.br br If this movie doesn't scare you and make you fear for your children nothing will.
| 1,023 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Disappointment of the year?
|
Complex, ambitious but unsatisfying drama follows multiple characters embroiled in some of today's most relevant topics; the Middle East, political/governmental corruption and rabid oil interests. Deserves praise for not running to formula and it's not short on intelligence but it's long, ultimately convoluted, and worst of all, dull (the first hour is an endurance test!). You gotta love movie marketing.....watch the trailer for this and tell me if the end product is even close to as exciting as what was suggested. Improves in the second half but there's no one to really root for and there's no urgency in the characters actions (perfectly illustrated by the failure of Clooney to 'move' at the pivotal moment). Horribly overpraised work is a contender for disappointment of the year; just look at that brilliant cast! Written by the director.<br /><br />Rating is 2.5 stars (and maybe I need to watch it a second time.......perhaps I missed something the first time 'round!?).
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEOBX74THG5RRRSMEXLO65YU6LVQ
| 1,421,405,790,000 | 0 |
Complex, ambitious but unsatisfying drama follows multiple characters embroiled in some of today's most relevant topics the Middle East, politicalgovernmental corruption and rabid oil interests. Deserves praise for not running to formula and it's not short on intelligence but it's long, ultimately convoluted, and worst of all, dull the first hour is an endurance test!. You gotta love movie marketing.....watch the trailer for this and tell me if the end product is even close to as exciting as what was suggested. Improves in the second half but there's no one to really root for and there's no urgency in the characters actions perfectly illustrated by the failure of Clooney to 'move' at the pivotal moment. Horribly overpraised work is a contender for disappointment of the year just look at that brilliant cast! Written by the director.br br Rating is 2.5 stars and maybe I need to watch it a second time.......perhaps I missed something the first time 'round!?.
| 969 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Disappointment of the year?
|
Complex, ambitious but unsatisfying drama follows multiple characters embroiled in some of today's most relevant topics; the Middle East, political/governmental corruption and rabid oil interests. Deserves praise for not running to formula and it's not short on intelligence but it's long, ultimately convoluted, and worst of all, dull (the first hour is an endurance test!). You gotta love movie marketing.....watch the trailer for this and tell me if the end product is even close to as exciting as what was suggested. Improves in the second half but there's no one to really root for and there's no urgency in the characters actions (perfectly illustrated by the failure of Clooney to 'move' at the pivotal moment). Horribly overpraised work is a contender for disappointment of the year; just look at that brilliant cast! Written by the director.<br /><br />Rating is 2.5 stars (and maybe I need to watch it a second time.......perhaps I missed something the first time 'round!?).
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEOBX74THG5RRRSMEXLO65YU6LVQ
| 1,421,405,790,000 | 0 |
Complex, ambitious but unsatisfying drama follows multiple characters embroiled in some of today's most relevant topics the Middle East, politicalgovernmental corruption and rabid oil interests. Deserves praise for not running to formula and it's not short on intelligence but it's long, ultimately convoluted, and worst of all, dull the first hour is an endurance test!. You gotta love movie marketing.....watch the trailer for this and tell me if the end product is even close to as exciting as what was suggested. Improves in the second half but there's no one to really root for and there's no urgency in the characters actions perfectly illustrated by the failure of Clooney to 'move' at the pivotal moment. Horribly overpraised work is a contender for disappointment of the year just look at that brilliant cast! Written by the director.br br Rating is 2.5 stars and maybe I need to watch it a second time.......perhaps I missed something the first time 'round!?.
| 969 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
Syriana helps us understand the causes of the conflicts, but what will bring more hope for the future?
|
A common criticism reviewers have made of this movie is that the plot is either too hard to follow or it does not make sense. Not all storytelling is designed to have a linear, easy to understand plot. The plot was complex, but not impossible to follow. This movie is also an exercise in giving us glimpses of worlds that are more complex than we probably initially understand. And the movie asks: How should we respond to things that are both foreign and violent to us?<br /><br />The movie reminds us there are real, violent wars going on throughout the world right now. It does not benefit a person to pretend they are not going on. But as individuals, we can choose how to "fight" in these conflicts. We can, as the characters in this film, channel 'good intentions' into violence, misinformation, boundaries, and silence in order to promote our positions. Or we can, as the filmmakers and actors in this film, use sharing information, artistic expression, & filmmaking to illustrate the problems created by violence, misinformation, boundaries and silence.<br /><br />"You're a good man . . . your entire career you've been used. And probably never even known what for," Christopher Plummer's character says to George Clooney's character, a CIA soldier.<br /><br />There is a scene in this movie where a car drives through a Beirut suburb. It shows gunmen posted on rooftops every few blocks. It's important to remember that as boundaries grow, more men are needed to "guard" those boundaries. Guards have little time to use their creative skills or craft solutions. To enable real, long term solutions, we need innovative ideas & non-discriminatory policies that encourage mechanical and social engineers, and lessen the need for boundaries and security guards.<br /><br />For all the movie's plot complexity, it's moral message focuses primarily on the problem side of the equation, suggesting that the pursuit and control of oil makes us bad. To avoid conceding we need oil is probably as misguided as avoiding conceding there are constant battles being fought to control it. What the movie does not do well is to show workable diplomatic, governmental, systemic, and alternate energy suggestions for solving the problems inherent in any competition for a limited resource. We need more than Matt Damon drawing the shortest distance between 2 points in the sand, and the prince monologuing about what he'd like to do, but hypocritically does not do.<br /><br />A key to bringing peace out of any conflict is to remove the scarcity by creating alternate energy sources, improving sharing efficiencies, or reducing consumption. We need brilliant filmmakers, economists, social scientists, and engineers to take the next steps and suggest practical energy solutions. In the long run, that will do far more towards creating world peace than old policies that call for more gunmen standing around. I'd like to see an equally good film on that side of the problem solving equation. It would be a more difficult film to make than a film that mainly explains the causes of the problems, but it would be a worthwhile film to make.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHJXGJPU4M2HXZQAZL4X3C54PDHA
| 1,165,444,856,000 | 5 |
A common criticism reviewers have made of this movie is that the plot is either too hard to follow or it does not make sense. Not all storytelling is designed to have a linear, easy to understand plot. The plot was complex, but not impossible to follow. This movie is also an exercise in giving us glimpses of worlds that are more complex than we probably initially understand. And the movie asks How should we respond to things that are both foreign and violent to us?br br The movie reminds us there are real, violent wars going on throughout the world right now. It does not benefit a person to pretend they are not going on. But as individuals, we can choose how to fight in these conflicts. We can, as the characters in this film, channel 'good intentions' into violence, misinformation, boundaries, and silence in order to promote our positions. Or we can, as the filmmakers and actors in this film, use sharing information, artistic expression, filmmaking to illustrate the problems created by violence, misinformation, boundaries and silence.br br You're a good man . . . your entire career you've been used. And probably never even known what for, Christopher Plummer's character says to George Clooney's character, a CIA soldier.br br There is a scene in this movie where a car drives through a Beirut suburb. It shows gunmen posted on rooftops every few blocks. It's important to remember that as boundaries grow, more men are needed to guard those boundaries. Guards have little time to use their creative skills or craft solutions. To enable real, long term solutions, we need innovative ideas nondiscriminatory policies that encourage mechanical and social engineers, and lessen the need for boundaries and security guards.br br For all the movie's plot complexity, it's moral message focuses primarily on the problem side of the equation, suggesting that the pursuit and control of oil makes us bad. To avoid conceding we need oil is probably as misguided as avoiding conceding there are constant battles being fought to control it. What the movie does not do well is to show workable diplomatic, governmental, systemic, and alternate energy suggestions for solving the problems inherent in any competition for a limited resource. We need more than Matt Damon drawing the shortest distance between 2 points in the sand, and the prince monologuing about what he'd like to do, but hypocritically does not do.br br A key to bringing peace out of any conflict is to remove the scarcity by creating alternate energy sources, improving sharing efficiencies, or reducing consumption. We need brilliant filmmakers, economists, social scientists, and engineers to take the next steps and suggest practical energy solutions. In the long run, that will do far more towards creating world peace than old policies that call for more gunmen standing around. I'd like to see an equally good film on that side of the problem solving equation. It would be a more difficult film to make than a film that mainly explains the causes of the problems, but it would be a worthwhile film to make.
| 3,087 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
Syriana helps us understand the causes of the conflicts, but what will bring more hope for the future?
|
A common criticism reviewers have made of this movie is that the plot is either too hard to follow or it does not make sense. Not all storytelling is designed to have a linear, easy to understand plot. The plot was complex, but not impossible to follow. This movie is also an exercise in giving us glimpses of worlds that are more complex than we probably initially understand. And the movie asks: How should we respond to things that are both foreign and violent to us?<br /><br />The movie reminds us there are real, violent wars going on throughout the world right now. It does not benefit a person to pretend they are not going on. But as individuals, we can choose how to "fight" in these conflicts. We can, as the characters in this film, channel 'good intentions' into violence, misinformation, boundaries, and silence in order to promote our positions. Or we can, as the filmmakers and actors in this film, use sharing information, artistic expression, & filmmaking to illustrate the problems created by violence, misinformation, boundaries and silence.<br /><br />"You're a good man . . . your entire career you've been used. And probably never even known what for," Christopher Plummer's character says to George Clooney's character, a CIA soldier.<br /><br />There is a scene in this movie where a car drives through a Beirut suburb. It shows gunmen posted on rooftops every few blocks. It's important to remember that as boundaries grow, more men are needed to "guard" those boundaries. Guards have little time to use their creative skills or craft solutions. To enable real, long term solutions, we need innovative ideas & non-discriminatory policies that encourage mechanical and social engineers, and lessen the need for boundaries and security guards.<br /><br />For all the movie's plot complexity, it's moral message focuses primarily on the problem side of the equation, suggesting that the pursuit and control of oil makes us bad. To avoid conceding we need oil is probably as misguided as avoiding conceding there are constant battles being fought to control it. What the movie does not do well is to show workable diplomatic, governmental, systemic, and alternate energy suggestions for solving the problems inherent in any competition for a limited resource. We need more than Matt Damon drawing the shortest distance between 2 points in the sand, and the prince monologuing about what he'd like to do, but hypocritically does not do.<br /><br />A key to bringing peace out of any conflict is to remove the scarcity by creating alternate energy sources, improving sharing efficiencies, or reducing consumption. We need brilliant filmmakers, economists, social scientists, and engineers to take the next steps and suggest practical energy solutions. In the long run, that will do far more towards creating world peace than old policies that call for more gunmen standing around. I'd like to see an equally good film on that side of the problem solving equation. It would be a more difficult film to make than a film that mainly explains the causes of the problems, but it would be a worthwhile film to make.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHJXGJPU4M2HXZQAZL4X3C54PDHA
| 1,165,444,856,000 | 5 |
A common criticism reviewers have made of this movie is that the plot is either too hard to follow or it does not make sense. Not all storytelling is designed to have a linear, easy to understand plot. The plot was complex, but not impossible to follow. This movie is also an exercise in giving us glimpses of worlds that are more complex than we probably initially understand. And the movie asks How should we respond to things that are both foreign and violent to us?br br The movie reminds us there are real, violent wars going on throughout the world right now. It does not benefit a person to pretend they are not going on. But as individuals, we can choose how to fight in these conflicts. We can, as the characters in this film, channel 'good intentions' into violence, misinformation, boundaries, and silence in order to promote our positions. Or we can, as the filmmakers and actors in this film, use sharing information, artistic expression, filmmaking to illustrate the problems created by violence, misinformation, boundaries and silence.br br You're a good man . . . your entire career you've been used. And probably never even known what for, Christopher Plummer's character says to George Clooney's character, a CIA soldier.br br There is a scene in this movie where a car drives through a Beirut suburb. It shows gunmen posted on rooftops every few blocks. It's important to remember that as boundaries grow, more men are needed to guard those boundaries. Guards have little time to use their creative skills or craft solutions. To enable real, long term solutions, we need innovative ideas nondiscriminatory policies that encourage mechanical and social engineers, and lessen the need for boundaries and security guards.br br For all the movie's plot complexity, it's moral message focuses primarily on the problem side of the equation, suggesting that the pursuit and control of oil makes us bad. To avoid conceding we need oil is probably as misguided as avoiding conceding there are constant battles being fought to control it. What the movie does not do well is to show workable diplomatic, governmental, systemic, and alternate energy suggestions for solving the problems inherent in any competition for a limited resource. We need more than Matt Damon drawing the shortest distance between 2 points in the sand, and the prince monologuing about what he'd like to do, but hypocritically does not do.br br A key to bringing peace out of any conflict is to remove the scarcity by creating alternate energy sources, improving sharing efficiencies, or reducing consumption. We need brilliant filmmakers, economists, social scientists, and engineers to take the next steps and suggest practical energy solutions. In the long run, that will do far more towards creating world peace than old policies that call for more gunmen standing around. I'd like to see an equally good film on that side of the problem solving equation. It would be a more difficult film to make than a film that mainly explains the causes of the problems, but it would be a worthwhile film to make.
| 3,087 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Fantastic, fascinating, and exciting
|
This is a very good, explosive, fascinating, and exciting movie. It really brings the real life about the global oil industry. For the story, it is so fascinating and everything is connected to each other without any plot/scene, which doesn't make sense for the whole movie. So, this story is well done. For the acting, George Clooney and Matt Damon are awesome actors for this thriller. Others are also okay and fit for this movie. For the direction, they are just great in all. All the plot and scene are good from head to toe. For the visuals, it is good because this action-packed movie always needs a good "letterbox" widescreen vision to fit the excitement. For the music, very tense and a job well done. This is as the same as the sound effects too. Overall, it is simply a recommended film.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHZIYMBXRJXAMZIASBGNZUICBVKA
| 1,151,284,522,000 | 3 |
This is a very good, explosive, fascinating, and exciting movie. It really brings the real life about the global oil industry. For the story, it is so fascinating and everything is connected to each other without any plotscene, which doesn't make sense for the whole movie. So, this story is well done. For the acting, George Clooney and Matt Damon are awesome actors for this thriller. Others are also okay and fit for this movie. For the direction, they are just great in all. All the plot and scene are good from head to toe. For the visuals, it is good because this actionpacked movie always needs a good letterbox widescreen vision to fit the excitement. For the music, very tense and a job well done. This is as the same as the sound effects too. Overall, it is simply a recommended film.
| 794 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Fantastic, fascinating, and exciting
|
This is a very good, explosive, fascinating, and exciting movie. It really brings the real life about the global oil industry. For the story, it is so fascinating and everything is connected to each other without any plot/scene, which doesn't make sense for the whole movie. So, this story is well done. For the acting, George Clooney and Matt Damon are awesome actors for this thriller. Others are also okay and fit for this movie. For the direction, they are just great in all. All the plot and scene are good from head to toe. For the visuals, it is good because this action-packed movie always needs a good "letterbox" widescreen vision to fit the excitement. For the music, very tense and a job well done. This is as the same as the sound effects too. Overall, it is simply a recommended film.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHZIYMBXRJXAMZIASBGNZUICBVKA
| 1,151,284,522,000 | 3 |
This is a very good, explosive, fascinating, and exciting movie. It really brings the real life about the global oil industry. For the story, it is so fascinating and everything is connected to each other without any plotscene, which doesn't make sense for the whole movie. So, this story is well done. For the acting, George Clooney and Matt Damon are awesome actors for this thriller. Others are also okay and fit for this movie. For the direction, they are just great in all. All the plot and scene are good from head to toe. For the visuals, it is good because this actionpacked movie always needs a good letterbox widescreen vision to fit the excitement. For the music, very tense and a job well done. This is as the same as the sound effects too. Overall, it is simply a recommended film.
| 794 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
Good Movie. Worth Watching More Than Once.
|
Normally, I prefer movies that focus more on characters with events as the background.<br />Syriana has a stronger focus on the story/plot. Very involved. Worth watching more than once.<br /><br />Not really hard to follow, but easy to miss subtle points during the first viewing.<br />Hard to rate. If you like movies like Babel, you'll probably enjoy this one.<br /><br />--
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHQWOZGHDXLHPSPRWHA52D6PU6IA
| 1,242,449,349,000 | 2 |
Normally, I prefer movies that focus more on characters with events as the background.br Syriana has a stronger focus on the storyplot. Very involved. Worth watching more than once.br br Not really hard to follow, but easy to miss subtle points during the first viewing.br Hard to rate. If you like movies like Babel, you'll probably enjoy this one.br br
| 354 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
Good Movie. Worth Watching More Than Once.
|
Normally, I prefer movies that focus more on characters with events as the background.<br />Syriana has a stronger focus on the story/plot. Very involved. Worth watching more than once.<br /><br />Not really hard to follow, but easy to miss subtle points during the first viewing.<br />Hard to rate. If you like movies like Babel, you'll probably enjoy this one.<br /><br />--
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHQWOZGHDXLHPSPRWHA52D6PU6IA
| 1,242,449,349,000 | 2 |
Normally, I prefer movies that focus more on characters with events as the background.br Syriana has a stronger focus on the storyplot. Very involved. Worth watching more than once.br br Not really hard to follow, but easy to miss subtle points during the first viewing.br Hard to rate. If you like movies like Babel, you'll probably enjoy this one.br br
| 354 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
Some history
|
I won't rehash the points already made here. I just want to make the following points:<br /><br />- Wahhabist fundamentalism (the ideology followed by Al Quida) was created around 1750, long, long before there were any U.S. oil companies.<br /><br />- The Muslim Brotherhood was created in the 1920s and also pre-dates oil exploitation in Saudi Arabia. The core of the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology is cultural, and anti-western, not economic. The founder of the brotherhood rejected almost all western norms. It was not about oil or economics.<br /><br />- The 9/11 hijackers and most Islamic terrorists were not inpoverished young men, but rather, rich, well-off students who had every advantage and then some in life. The movie depicts them as exploited, which is very, very far from the truth.<br /><br />- The real reason why the Arab economies are so backward (the Finnish company Nokia creates more wealth every year than the ENTIRE Arab world, if you exclude oil production !) is not because the U.S. oil companies want it that way, but rather, because the Arab followed the SOVIET model for so many years. By the way, that is the same reason why India remained so economically backward until about 1990 too, and you can't blame oil on that. The movie suggests that the reason why the Arab world is backward economically is due to U.S. exploitation, but the real reason is due to the Soviet model that was followed, of national ownership of assets, and state socialism.<br /><br />- The movie shows the CIA blowing up a reform Arab politician. This is more than ridiculous and makes the movie ridiculous and almost unwatchable in my view. The CIA might be many things, but they don't blow up moderate Arab reformers, just because a big oil company wants them to.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEODPL7X2NDV2RDBMVK2DNR5YVWA
| 1,208,930,189,000 | 5 |
I won't rehash the points already made here. I just want to make the following pointsbr br Wahhabist fundamentalism the ideology followed by Al Quida was created around 1750, long, long before there were any U.S. oil companies.br br The Muslim Brotherhood was created in the 1920s and also predates oil exploitation in Saudi Arabia. The core of the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology is cultural, and antiwestern, not economic. The founder of the brotherhood rejected almost all western norms. It was not about oil or economics.br br The 911 hijackers and most Islamic terrorists were not inpoverished young men, but rather, rich, welloff students who had every advantage and then some in life. The movie depicts them as exploited, which is very, very far from the truth.br br The real reason why the Arab economies are so backward the Finnish company Nokia creates more wealth every year than the ENTIRE Arab world, if you exclude oil production ! is not because the U.S. oil companies want it that way, but rather, because the Arab followed the SOVIET model for so many years. By the way, that is the same reason why India remained so economically backward until about 1990 too, and you can't blame oil on that. The movie suggests that the reason why the Arab world is backward economically is due to U.S. exploitation, but the real reason is due to the Soviet model that was followed, of national ownership of assets, and state socialism.br br The movie shows the CIA blowing up a reform Arab politician. This is more than ridiculous and makes the movie ridiculous and almost unwatchable in my view. The CIA might be many things, but they don't blow up moderate Arab reformers, just because a big oil company wants them to.
| 1,721 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
Some history
|
I won't rehash the points already made here. I just want to make the following points:<br /><br />- Wahhabist fundamentalism (the ideology followed by Al Quida) was created around 1750, long, long before there were any U.S. oil companies.<br /><br />- The Muslim Brotherhood was created in the 1920s and also pre-dates oil exploitation in Saudi Arabia. The core of the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology is cultural, and anti-western, not economic. The founder of the brotherhood rejected almost all western norms. It was not about oil or economics.<br /><br />- The 9/11 hijackers and most Islamic terrorists were not inpoverished young men, but rather, rich, well-off students who had every advantage and then some in life. The movie depicts them as exploited, which is very, very far from the truth.<br /><br />- The real reason why the Arab economies are so backward (the Finnish company Nokia creates more wealth every year than the ENTIRE Arab world, if you exclude oil production !) is not because the U.S. oil companies want it that way, but rather, because the Arab followed the SOVIET model for so many years. By the way, that is the same reason why India remained so economically backward until about 1990 too, and you can't blame oil on that. The movie suggests that the reason why the Arab world is backward economically is due to U.S. exploitation, but the real reason is due to the Soviet model that was followed, of national ownership of assets, and state socialism.<br /><br />- The movie shows the CIA blowing up a reform Arab politician. This is more than ridiculous and makes the movie ridiculous and almost unwatchable in my view. The CIA might be many things, but they don't blow up moderate Arab reformers, just because a big oil company wants them to.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEODPL7X2NDV2RDBMVK2DNR5YVWA
| 1,208,930,189,000 | 5 |
I won't rehash the points already made here. I just want to make the following pointsbr br Wahhabist fundamentalism the ideology followed by Al Quida was created around 1750, long, long before there were any U.S. oil companies.br br The Muslim Brotherhood was created in the 1920s and also predates oil exploitation in Saudi Arabia. The core of the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology is cultural, and antiwestern, not economic. The founder of the brotherhood rejected almost all western norms. It was not about oil or economics.br br The 911 hijackers and most Islamic terrorists were not inpoverished young men, but rather, rich, welloff students who had every advantage and then some in life. The movie depicts them as exploited, which is very, very far from the truth.br br The real reason why the Arab economies are so backward the Finnish company Nokia creates more wealth every year than the ENTIRE Arab world, if you exclude oil production ! is not because the U.S. oil companies want it that way, but rather, because the Arab followed the SOVIET model for so many years. By the way, that is the same reason why India remained so economically backward until about 1990 too, and you can't blame oil on that. The movie suggests that the reason why the Arab world is backward economically is due to U.S. exploitation, but the real reason is due to the Soviet model that was followed, of national ownership of assets, and state socialism.br br The movie shows the CIA blowing up a reform Arab politician. This is more than ridiculous and makes the movie ridiculous and almost unwatchable in my view. The CIA might be many things, but they don't blow up moderate Arab reformers, just because a big oil company wants them to.
| 1,721 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Review
|
Sound sucks. Plot sucks and hard to follow story.<br />How hard is it to produce a well known plot? (Oil companies own the governments of the world.)
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHIAN6O7VGRGLG6G6W7UJHV3HXRQ
| 1,195,655,445,000 | 1 |
Sound sucks. Plot sucks and hard to follow story.br How hard is it to produce a well known plot? Oil companies own the governments of the world.
| 144 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Review
|
Sound sucks. Plot sucks and hard to follow story.<br />How hard is it to produce a well known plot? (Oil companies own the governments of the world.)
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHIAN6O7VGRGLG6G6W7UJHV3HXRQ
| 1,195,655,445,000 | 1 |
Sound sucks. Plot sucks and hard to follow story.br How hard is it to produce a well known plot? Oil companies own the governments of the world.
| 144 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
The details are wrong, the big picture is inexistant
|
The details are all fine if you don't know the middle east - but are not well researched and inconsistent. I won't bore you with the list.<br /><br />All the big picture takeaway is that the middle east and big oil are a complicated business with many parties that have a big stake. Tell us something new.<br /><br />The overall storyline does not have much else going for it - I was expecting more intrigue, a more synthesized story line. A disappointment.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFHGRP6ZB547IZVL5NGCWMSUWJXA
| 1,164,324,893,000 | 3 |
The details are all fine if you don't know the middle east but are not well researched and inconsistent. I won't bore you with the list.br br All the big picture takeaway is that the middle east and big oil are a complicated business with many parties that have a big stake. Tell us something new.br br The overall storyline does not have much else going for it I was expecting more intrigue, a more synthesized story line. A disappointment.
| 441 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
The details are wrong, the big picture is inexistant
|
The details are all fine if you don't know the middle east - but are not well researched and inconsistent. I won't bore you with the list.<br /><br />All the big picture takeaway is that the middle east and big oil are a complicated business with many parties that have a big stake. Tell us something new.<br /><br />The overall storyline does not have much else going for it - I was expecting more intrigue, a more synthesized story line. A disappointment.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFHGRP6ZB547IZVL5NGCWMSUWJXA
| 1,164,324,893,000 | 3 |
The details are all fine if you don't know the middle east but are not well researched and inconsistent. I won't bore you with the list.br br All the big picture takeaway is that the middle east and big oil are a complicated business with many parties that have a big stake. Tell us something new.br br The overall storyline does not have much else going for it I was expecting more intrigue, a more synthesized story line. A disappointment.
| 441 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
awesome movie!!!
|
I love this movie...brings to us the struggles in the middle east. Not to flattering for the CIA, and sure things like thqt go on. Acting was awesome!!
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFHKJPNVEIWBXYVT6A2VGII53UTA
| 1,581,617,555,276 | 0 |
I love this movie...brings to us the struggles in the middle east. Not to flattering for the CIA, and sure things like thqt go on. Acting was awesome!!
| 151 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
awesome movie!!!
|
I love this movie...brings to us the struggles in the middle east. Not to flattering for the CIA, and sure things like thqt go on. Acting was awesome!!
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFHKJPNVEIWBXYVT6A2VGII53UTA
| 1,581,617,555,276 | 0 |
I love this movie...brings to us the struggles in the middle east. Not to flattering for the CIA, and sure things like thqt go on. Acting was awesome!!
| 151 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Syriana review
|
I enjoyed this film very much! I think that it is a deep, moving story that takes it's time to set up but still kept me on my toes. Great cast including Matt Damon and George Clooney. Although fictional, it has some good points about it that carry through. The scope here is much broader than just "big oil" and even though it is a film that obviously tries through and through to paint the United States as the big bad wolf, it was worth seeing George Clooney get blown to smithereens in the end. It is okay though, because it is fictional. If you don't believe me just look up the book it is based on, because that guy has been proven to be nothing more than a lying schmuck who made stuff up in order for his books to sell as "thrillers". Hollywood ate it up though, and kept the lie machine rolling, question is, will you eat it also?
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFNAOI2KRACLDPMLEJTOEFUSZHTQ
| 1,173,329,530,000 | 0 |
I enjoyed this film very much! I think that it is a deep, moving story that takes it's time to set up but still kept me on my toes. Great cast including Matt Damon and George Clooney. Although fictional, it has some good points about it that carry through. The scope here is much broader than just big oil and even though it is a film that obviously tries through and through to paint the United States as the big bad wolf, it was worth seeing George Clooney get blown to smithereens in the end. It is okay though, because it is fictional. If you don't believe me just look up the book it is based on, because that guy has been proven to be nothing more than a lying schmuck who made stuff up in order for his books to sell as thrillers. Hollywood ate it up though, and kept the lie machine rolling, question is, will you eat it also?
| 834 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Syriana review
|
I enjoyed this film very much! I think that it is a deep, moving story that takes it's time to set up but still kept me on my toes. Great cast including Matt Damon and George Clooney. Although fictional, it has some good points about it that carry through. The scope here is much broader than just "big oil" and even though it is a film that obviously tries through and through to paint the United States as the big bad wolf, it was worth seeing George Clooney get blown to smithereens in the end. It is okay though, because it is fictional. If you don't believe me just look up the book it is based on, because that guy has been proven to be nothing more than a lying schmuck who made stuff up in order for his books to sell as "thrillers". Hollywood ate it up though, and kept the lie machine rolling, question is, will you eat it also?
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFNAOI2KRACLDPMLEJTOEFUSZHTQ
| 1,173,329,530,000 | 0 |
I enjoyed this film very much! I think that it is a deep, moving story that takes it's time to set up but still kept me on my toes. Great cast including Matt Damon and George Clooney. Although fictional, it has some good points about it that carry through. The scope here is much broader than just big oil and even though it is a film that obviously tries through and through to paint the United States as the big bad wolf, it was worth seeing George Clooney get blown to smithereens in the end. It is okay though, because it is fictional. If you don't believe me just look up the book it is based on, because that guy has been proven to be nothing more than a lying schmuck who made stuff up in order for his books to sell as thrillers. Hollywood ate it up though, and kept the lie machine rolling, question is, will you eat it also?
| 834 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
NEEDED A BETTER SCRIPT WRITER
|
SYRIANA is a jumbled, confused mess as far as its plot is concerned. However, George Clooney is always watchable. Recommended for psuedo intellectual film buffs who like to sort out cryptic plots over a Starbucks and maybe for those seeking validation of any number of wacko conspiracy theories regarding oil companies and mid-east oil riches. Good production values and decent acting; just needed a better script writer. Ain't that always the case?
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHU7YJI35PEELDXUF27BNEP6BXRQ
| 1,176,497,433,000 | 5 |
SYRIANA is a jumbled, confused mess as far as its plot is concerned. However, George Clooney is always watchable. Recommended for psuedo intellectual film buffs who like to sort out cryptic plots over a Starbucks and maybe for those seeking validation of any number of wacko conspiracy theories regarding oil companies and mideast oil riches. Good production values and decent acting just needed a better script writer. Ain't that always the case?
| 447 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
NEEDED A BETTER SCRIPT WRITER
|
SYRIANA is a jumbled, confused mess as far as its plot is concerned. However, George Clooney is always watchable. Recommended for psuedo intellectual film buffs who like to sort out cryptic plots over a Starbucks and maybe for those seeking validation of any number of wacko conspiracy theories regarding oil companies and mid-east oil riches. Good production values and decent acting; just needed a better script writer. Ain't that always the case?
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHU7YJI35PEELDXUF27BNEP6BXRQ
| 1,176,497,433,000 | 5 |
SYRIANA is a jumbled, confused mess as far as its plot is concerned. However, George Clooney is always watchable. Recommended for psuedo intellectual film buffs who like to sort out cryptic plots over a Starbucks and maybe for those seeking validation of any number of wacko conspiracy theories regarding oil companies and mideast oil riches. Good production values and decent acting just needed a better script writer. Ain't that always the case?
| 447 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
you need to be awake to watch this....
|
i went into this DVD with low expectations and wound up really enjoying it. maybe "enjoy" isn't the right word, it is intense, it is political (and i usually am on the opposite side of hollywood politics)and it jumps around from subplot to subplot. in fact, i dozed off for 10 minutes and got entirely lost and had to rewind to fill in the blanks. but I found it very plausible. and that is what a good movie should do- give a plausible thesis and play it out. it succeeds here. it makes us think of the laws of unintended consequence. Sure, it makes the Gov't and big oil look inherently evil and characaturizes them, but that usually makes for a good starting point, since most large organizations usually succumb to fear and/or greed anyway. I once heard a history professor say " it isn't about the struggle of good vs evil, it is always about the struggle of good vs good....both sides always think they are right and God is on their side"..... Watch it, you will come out the other side thinking.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFYJ6ALP3JWAOXLSUHOJRYOST57A
| 1,164,206,781,000 | 1 |
i went into this DVD with low expectations and wound up really enjoying it. maybe enjoy isn't the right word, it is intense, it is political and i usually am on the opposite side of hollywood politicsand it jumps around from subplot to subplot. in fact, i dozed off for 10 minutes and got entirely lost and had to rewind to fill in the blanks. but I found it very plausible. and that is what a good movie should do give a plausible thesis and play it out. it succeeds here. it makes us think of the laws of unintended consequence. Sure, it makes the Gov't and big oil look inherently evil and characaturizes them, but that usually makes for a good starting point, since most large organizations usually succumb to fear andor greed anyway. I once heard a history professor say it isn't about the struggle of good vs evil, it is always about the struggle of good vs good....both sides always think they are right and God is on their side..... Watch it, you will come out the other side thinking.
| 993 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
you need to be awake to watch this....
|
i went into this DVD with low expectations and wound up really enjoying it. maybe "enjoy" isn't the right word, it is intense, it is political (and i usually am on the opposite side of hollywood politics)and it jumps around from subplot to subplot. in fact, i dozed off for 10 minutes and got entirely lost and had to rewind to fill in the blanks. but I found it very plausible. and that is what a good movie should do- give a plausible thesis and play it out. it succeeds here. it makes us think of the laws of unintended consequence. Sure, it makes the Gov't and big oil look inherently evil and characaturizes them, but that usually makes for a good starting point, since most large organizations usually succumb to fear and/or greed anyway. I once heard a history professor say " it isn't about the struggle of good vs evil, it is always about the struggle of good vs good....both sides always think they are right and God is on their side"..... Watch it, you will come out the other side thinking.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFYJ6ALP3JWAOXLSUHOJRYOST57A
| 1,164,206,781,000 | 1 |
i went into this DVD with low expectations and wound up really enjoying it. maybe enjoy isn't the right word, it is intense, it is political and i usually am on the opposite side of hollywood politicsand it jumps around from subplot to subplot. in fact, i dozed off for 10 minutes and got entirely lost and had to rewind to fill in the blanks. but I found it very plausible. and that is what a good movie should do give a plausible thesis and play it out. it succeeds here. it makes us think of the laws of unintended consequence. Sure, it makes the Gov't and big oil look inherently evil and characaturizes them, but that usually makes for a good starting point, since most large organizations usually succumb to fear andor greed anyway. I once heard a history professor say it isn't about the struggle of good vs evil, it is always about the struggle of good vs good....both sides always think they are right and God is on their side..... Watch it, you will come out the other side thinking.
| 993 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Star-Studded, But Overly Complex Epic
|
"Syriana" overwhelms the viewer with corrupt plots in all sectors. It frames how oil dictates America's cow-towing to the Middle East. Oil companies, Saudi field workers from Pakistan, Sheiks and Princes, CIA Operatives all entwine and play a high stakes game of oil contracts. There are political games, terrorist plots and greedy corrupt people at all intersections of this complex epic. I suspect to understand it all you need to watch it about three or four times.<br /><br />George Clooney plays a CIA operative who delivers two missiles to his his contact in Iran - but one disappears. The CIA has many problems and does not focus on this at first. The heir to an Emirate gives an oil contract to China that cuts out a US company. This leads to the immediate firing of their immigrant field workers. A merger with a small firm that landed a Kazakhstani oil contract causes the US Department of Justice to suspect a bribe was involved. The oil company's law firm finds a scapegoat. Then when a plot to kill the Emir-apparent fails, they send in Agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) who figures out he has been used as a pawn in their game. Matt Damon plays an American economist/trader, Bryan Woodman, who uses the death of his young son to get lucrative contracts and advise the Saudi heir that the CIA wants to kill. All corruption (and everybody is corrupt) leads to oil.<br /><br />The movie is too overwhelming and complex to enjoy and you end up tuning out parts that don't make any sense until late in the story. The movie is full of great stars, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey Wright, William Hurt and Akbar Kurtha (plays the young Saudi Prince).
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AF25GNLE2ZVNE4EKR3WNEGZELMNQ
| 1,285,974,057,000 | 1 |
Syriana overwhelms the viewer with corrupt plots in all sectors. It frames how oil dictates America's cowtowing to the Middle East. Oil companies, Saudi field workers from Pakistan, Sheiks and Princes, CIA Operatives all entwine and play a high stakes game of oil contracts. There are political games, terrorist plots and greedy corrupt people at all intersections of this complex epic. I suspect to understand it all you need to watch it about three or four times.br br George Clooney plays a CIA operative who delivers two missiles to his his contact in Iran but one disappears. The CIA has many problems and does not focus on this at first. The heir to an Emirate gives an oil contract to China that cuts out a US company. This leads to the immediate firing of their immigrant field workers. A merger with a small firm that landed a Kazakhstani oil contract causes the US Department of Justice to suspect a bribe was involved. The oil company's law firm finds a scapegoat. Then when a plot to kill the Emirapparent fails, they send in Agent Bob Barnes George Clooney who figures out he has been used as a pawn in their game. Matt Damon plays an American economisttrader, Bryan Woodman, who uses the death of his young son to get lucrative contracts and advise the Saudi heir that the CIA wants to kill. All corruption and everybody is corrupt leads to oil.br br The movie is too overwhelming and complex to enjoy and you end up tuning out parts that don't make any sense until late in the story. The movie is full of great stars, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey Wright, William Hurt and Akbar Kurtha plays the young Saudi Prince.
| 1,671 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Star-Studded, But Overly Complex Epic
|
"Syriana" overwhelms the viewer with corrupt plots in all sectors. It frames how oil dictates America's cow-towing to the Middle East. Oil companies, Saudi field workers from Pakistan, Sheiks and Princes, CIA Operatives all entwine and play a high stakes game of oil contracts. There are political games, terrorist plots and greedy corrupt people at all intersections of this complex epic. I suspect to understand it all you need to watch it about three or four times.<br /><br />George Clooney plays a CIA operative who delivers two missiles to his his contact in Iran - but one disappears. The CIA has many problems and does not focus on this at first. The heir to an Emirate gives an oil contract to China that cuts out a US company. This leads to the immediate firing of their immigrant field workers. A merger with a small firm that landed a Kazakhstani oil contract causes the US Department of Justice to suspect a bribe was involved. The oil company's law firm finds a scapegoat. Then when a plot to kill the Emir-apparent fails, they send in Agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) who figures out he has been used as a pawn in their game. Matt Damon plays an American economist/trader, Bryan Woodman, who uses the death of his young son to get lucrative contracts and advise the Saudi heir that the CIA wants to kill. All corruption (and everybody is corrupt) leads to oil.<br /><br />The movie is too overwhelming and complex to enjoy and you end up tuning out parts that don't make any sense until late in the story. The movie is full of great stars, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey Wright, William Hurt and Akbar Kurtha (plays the young Saudi Prince).
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AF25GNLE2ZVNE4EKR3WNEGZELMNQ
| 1,285,974,057,000 | 1 |
Syriana overwhelms the viewer with corrupt plots in all sectors. It frames how oil dictates America's cowtowing to the Middle East. Oil companies, Saudi field workers from Pakistan, Sheiks and Princes, CIA Operatives all entwine and play a high stakes game of oil contracts. There are political games, terrorist plots and greedy corrupt people at all intersections of this complex epic. I suspect to understand it all you need to watch it about three or four times.br br George Clooney plays a CIA operative who delivers two missiles to his his contact in Iran but one disappears. The CIA has many problems and does not focus on this at first. The heir to an Emirate gives an oil contract to China that cuts out a US company. This leads to the immediate firing of their immigrant field workers. A merger with a small firm that landed a Kazakhstani oil contract causes the US Department of Justice to suspect a bribe was involved. The oil company's law firm finds a scapegoat. Then when a plot to kill the Emirapparent fails, they send in Agent Bob Barnes George Clooney who figures out he has been used as a pawn in their game. Matt Damon plays an American economisttrader, Bryan Woodman, who uses the death of his young son to get lucrative contracts and advise the Saudi heir that the CIA wants to kill. All corruption and everybody is corrupt leads to oil.br br The movie is too overwhelming and complex to enjoy and you end up tuning out parts that don't make any sense until late in the story. The movie is full of great stars, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey Wright, William Hurt and Akbar Kurtha plays the young Saudi Prince.
| 1,671 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Put in the necessary effort.
|
I did not find the interlocking stories hard to follow, I did not find the motivations hard to fathom and I did not fell preached at either ( All morality is "in play" in this movie. ).<br /><br />If the political thriller, emphasis on political, is not to your taste that's OK there are lots of other movies.<br /><br />If you don't agree with the political view point that's OK as well.<br /><br />What's not OK is going to the movie and then complaining because it isn't something else or you don't agree or you think it made you work to hard.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFAJTDNR4QAKBHMVTF7A76DHGBCQ
| 1,167,834,290,000 | 5 |
I did not find the interlocking stories hard to follow, I did not find the motivations hard to fathom and I did not fell preached at either All morality is in play in this movie. .br br If the political thriller, emphasis on political, is not to your taste that's OK there are lots of other movies.br br If you don't agree with the political view point that's OK as well.br br What's not OK is going to the movie and then complaining because it isn't something else or you don't agree or you think it made you work to hard.
| 523 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Put in the necessary effort.
|
I did not find the interlocking stories hard to follow, I did not find the motivations hard to fathom and I did not fell preached at either ( All morality is "in play" in this movie. ).<br /><br />If the political thriller, emphasis on political, is not to your taste that's OK there are lots of other movies.<br /><br />If you don't agree with the political view point that's OK as well.<br /><br />What's not OK is going to the movie and then complaining because it isn't something else or you don't agree or you think it made you work to hard.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFAJTDNR4QAKBHMVTF7A76DHGBCQ
| 1,167,834,290,000 | 5 |
I did not find the interlocking stories hard to follow, I did not find the motivations hard to fathom and I did not fell preached at either All morality is in play in this movie. .br br If the political thriller, emphasis on political, is not to your taste that's OK there are lots of other movies.br br If you don't agree with the political view point that's OK as well.br br What's not OK is going to the movie and then complaining because it isn't something else or you don't agree or you think it made you work to hard.
| 523 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
Beware: Complex Plot
|
After having recently watched "Rescue Dawn" which had an unsatisfying beginning, middle and ending and "Letters from Iwo Jima" which was a beautifully done movie but quite depressing - worth it nonetheless - Syriana was refreshing. An intelligent set of plots that interweave throughout the film, coming to a satisfying though not particularly cheerful climax. It leaves you with no regrets however and, as my wife put it, it tackles some tough issues (the kind where too many directors would resort to demonizing to bring the point home) in a very mature, complex way. The world is complex and as much as we'd like to simplify it down to one full of angels and demons the truth is we all have a little of both in us.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHFYIXGQAJUCNDED2XKB3FIKHOEA
| 1,199,382,218,000 | 0 |
After having recently watched Rescue Dawn which had an unsatisfying beginning, middle and ending and Letters from Iwo Jima which was a beautifully done movie but quite depressing worth it nonetheless Syriana was refreshing. An intelligent set of plots that interweave throughout the film, coming to a satisfying though not particularly cheerful climax. It leaves you with no regrets however and, as my wife put it, it tackles some tough issues the kind where too many directors would resort to demonizing to bring the point home in a very mature, complex way. The world is complex and as much as we'd like to simplify it down to one full of angels and demons the truth is we all have a little of both in us.
| 707 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 4 |
Beware: Complex Plot
|
After having recently watched "Rescue Dawn" which had an unsatisfying beginning, middle and ending and "Letters from Iwo Jima" which was a beautifully done movie but quite depressing - worth it nonetheless - Syriana was refreshing. An intelligent set of plots that interweave throughout the film, coming to a satisfying though not particularly cheerful climax. It leaves you with no regrets however and, as my wife put it, it tackles some tough issues (the kind where too many directors would resort to demonizing to bring the point home) in a very mature, complex way. The world is complex and as much as we'd like to simplify it down to one full of angels and demons the truth is we all have a little of both in us.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHFYIXGQAJUCNDED2XKB3FIKHOEA
| 1,199,382,218,000 | 0 |
After having recently watched Rescue Dawn which had an unsatisfying beginning, middle and ending and Letters from Iwo Jima which was a beautifully done movie but quite depressing worth it nonetheless Syriana was refreshing. An intelligent set of plots that interweave throughout the film, coming to a satisfying though not particularly cheerful climax. It leaves you with no regrets however and, as my wife put it, it tackles some tough issues the kind where too many directors would resort to demonizing to bring the point home in a very mature, complex way. The world is complex and as much as we'd like to simplify it down to one full of angels and demons the truth is we all have a little of both in us.
| 707 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Clooney is spectacular in this fine film
|
I feel he was better in Michael Clayton, but still, an exceptional job of acting by Clooney. The other actors, the writing, the direction are all first rate.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEMY4QNQA4DIWXLM3U64M5QP24RQ
| 1,362,591,704,000 | 0 |
I feel he was better in Michael Clayton, but still, an exceptional job of acting by Clooney. The other actors, the writing, the direction are all first rate.
| 157 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Clooney is spectacular in this fine film
|
I feel he was better in Michael Clayton, but still, an exceptional job of acting by Clooney. The other actors, the writing, the direction are all first rate.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEMY4QNQA4DIWXLM3U64M5QP24RQ
| 1,362,591,704,000 | 0 |
I feel he was better in Michael Clayton, but still, an exceptional job of acting by Clooney. The other actors, the writing, the direction are all first rate.
| 157 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Beauty, reality and sporadic chaos...
|
This movie is exceptional in its portrayal of the beauty, reality and sporadic chaos of the Middle East. And it's not the first movie to deal with western corruption! Amazon reviews are an open forum but I'm still bemused by the politically motivated reviews to be found here.<br /><br />If you can't accept the reality that large corporations and governments heavily influence the region, then don't watch this movie.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGWIIAL4WVV3HLWTZOKPI3YICNVA
| 1,165,371,110,000 | 2 |
This movie is exceptional in its portrayal of the beauty, reality and sporadic chaos of the Middle East. And it's not the first movie to deal with western corruption! Amazon reviews are an open forum but I'm still bemused by the politically motivated reviews to be found here.br br If you can't accept the reality that large corporations and governments heavily influence the region, then don't watch this movie.
| 412 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Beauty, reality and sporadic chaos...
|
This movie is exceptional in its portrayal of the beauty, reality and sporadic chaos of the Middle East. And it's not the first movie to deal with western corruption! Amazon reviews are an open forum but I'm still bemused by the politically motivated reviews to be found here.<br /><br />If you can't accept the reality that large corporations and governments heavily influence the region, then don't watch this movie.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGWIIAL4WVV3HLWTZOKPI3YICNVA
| 1,165,371,110,000 | 2 |
This movie is exceptional in its portrayal of the beauty, reality and sporadic chaos of the Middle East. And it's not the first movie to deal with western corruption! Amazon reviews are an open forum but I'm still bemused by the politically motivated reviews to be found here.br br If you can't accept the reality that large corporations and governments heavily influence the region, then don't watch this movie.
| 412 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
A bit slow
|
I am a fan of thrillers, but this one is just too slow. Luckily, I rented it from the library so my only cost was 46 minutes of my time. (That is how long I was able to watch it.)
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFMN5YEUGSOWHACAJKKIOUA3I6QQ
| 1,174,668,738,000 | 4 |
I am a fan of thrillers, but this one is just too slow. Luckily, I rented it from the library so my only cost was 46 minutes of my time. That is how long I was able to watch it.
| 177 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
A bit slow
|
I am a fan of thrillers, but this one is just too slow. Luckily, I rented it from the library so my only cost was 46 minutes of my time. (That is how long I was able to watch it.)
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFMN5YEUGSOWHACAJKKIOUA3I6QQ
| 1,174,668,738,000 | 4 |
I am a fan of thrillers, but this one is just too slow. Luckily, I rented it from the library so my only cost was 46 minutes of my time. That is how long I was able to watch it.
| 177 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
interesting, unconventional, educational
|
Syriana is loosely based on Bob Baer's book 'See No Evil'. The creative license taken with Baer's book serves us well, and we end up with a complex, entertaining, and somewhat educational look at America's involvement in the middle east. I've heard complaints about the plot being too complex and hard to follow. This isn't a 'boy gets girl' or 'good guys vs. bad guys' movie. It shows some of the complexities involved with foreign relations, particularly as it relates to oil, middle-eastern monarchs and terrorism.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGRW5X4BA2KX2ZIGEYIPMF3EVB7Q
| 1,167,152,268,000 | 6 |
Syriana is loosely based on Bob Baer's book 'See No Evil'. The creative license taken with Baer's book serves us well, and we end up with a complex, entertaining, and somewhat educational look at America's involvement in the middle east. I've heard complaints about the plot being too complex and hard to follow. This isn't a 'boy gets girl' or 'good guys vs. bad guys' movie. It shows some of the complexities involved with foreign relations, particularly as it relates to oil, middleeastern monarchs and terrorism.
| 516 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
interesting, unconventional, educational
|
Syriana is loosely based on Bob Baer's book 'See No Evil'. The creative license taken with Baer's book serves us well, and we end up with a complex, entertaining, and somewhat educational look at America's involvement in the middle east. I've heard complaints about the plot being too complex and hard to follow. This isn't a 'boy gets girl' or 'good guys vs. bad guys' movie. It shows some of the complexities involved with foreign relations, particularly as it relates to oil, middle-eastern monarchs and terrorism.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGRW5X4BA2KX2ZIGEYIPMF3EVB7Q
| 1,167,152,268,000 | 6 |
Syriana is loosely based on Bob Baer's book 'See No Evil'. The creative license taken with Baer's book serves us well, and we end up with a complex, entertaining, and somewhat educational look at America's involvement in the middle east. I've heard complaints about the plot being too complex and hard to follow. This isn't a 'boy gets girl' or 'good guys vs. bad guys' movie. It shows some of the complexities involved with foreign relations, particularly as it relates to oil, middleeastern monarchs and terrorism.
| 516 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
Nope - Not Traffic Goes to The Middle East
|
This movie has great breeding! Great cast with some fine performances (esp. Jeffrey Wright and George Clooney, as one would expect). Great writer/director, Stephen Gaghan, fresh off of the superb Traffic.<br /><br />But for a variety of reasons, this movie just did not rise to the same level as Traffic. I suppose a great deal of the fault lies with me as a lazy viewer. I'm just not into the whole Corporate Intrigue aspect of the movie. To be sure, there are many other important strands in the weave of the Oil Web presented by the script - but the finagling and politicking involved with the oil deal that is the crux of the film was just dull. Which of course is part of the "message" of the movie - most oil consumers (Americans in particular) are uninterested in where the oil comes from - just as long as it is affordable and available.<br /><br />I suppose my disappointment stems more from watching the movie with the preconceived notion that it would be more unto a Ludlam versus Clancy type novel.<br /><br />The movie was NOT a waste of time - it just failed to live up to the hype.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGSPRXFWY2TX4TVW64QQSYNJOSQA
| 1,163,530,515,000 | 2 |
This movie has great breeding! Great cast with some fine performances esp. Jeffrey Wright and George Clooney, as one would expect. Great writerdirector, Stephen Gaghan, fresh off of the superb Traffic.br br But for a variety of reasons, this movie just did not rise to the same level as Traffic. I suppose a great deal of the fault lies with me as a lazy viewer. I'm just not into the whole Corporate Intrigue aspect of the movie. To be sure, there are many other important strands in the weave of the Oil Web presented by the script but the finagling and politicking involved with the oil deal that is the crux of the film was just dull. Which of course is part of the message of the movie most oil consumers Americans in particular are uninterested in where the oil comes from just as long as it is affordable and available.br br I suppose my disappointment stems more from watching the movie with the preconceived notion that it would be more unto a Ludlam versus Clancy type novel.br br The movie was NOT a waste of time it just failed to live up to the hype.
| 1,063 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
Nope - Not Traffic Goes to The Middle East
|
This movie has great breeding! Great cast with some fine performances (esp. Jeffrey Wright and George Clooney, as one would expect). Great writer/director, Stephen Gaghan, fresh off of the superb Traffic.<br /><br />But for a variety of reasons, this movie just did not rise to the same level as Traffic. I suppose a great deal of the fault lies with me as a lazy viewer. I'm just not into the whole Corporate Intrigue aspect of the movie. To be sure, there are many other important strands in the weave of the Oil Web presented by the script - but the finagling and politicking involved with the oil deal that is the crux of the film was just dull. Which of course is part of the "message" of the movie - most oil consumers (Americans in particular) are uninterested in where the oil comes from - just as long as it is affordable and available.<br /><br />I suppose my disappointment stems more from watching the movie with the preconceived notion that it would be more unto a Ludlam versus Clancy type novel.<br /><br />The movie was NOT a waste of time - it just failed to live up to the hype.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGSPRXFWY2TX4TVW64QQSYNJOSQA
| 1,163,530,515,000 | 2 |
This movie has great breeding! Great cast with some fine performances esp. Jeffrey Wright and George Clooney, as one would expect. Great writerdirector, Stephen Gaghan, fresh off of the superb Traffic.br br But for a variety of reasons, this movie just did not rise to the same level as Traffic. I suppose a great deal of the fault lies with me as a lazy viewer. I'm just not into the whole Corporate Intrigue aspect of the movie. To be sure, there are many other important strands in the weave of the Oil Web presented by the script but the finagling and politicking involved with the oil deal that is the crux of the film was just dull. Which of course is part of the message of the movie most oil consumers Americans in particular are uninterested in where the oil comes from just as long as it is affordable and available.br br I suppose my disappointment stems more from watching the movie with the preconceived notion that it would be more unto a Ludlam versus Clancy type novel.br br The movie was NOT a waste of time it just failed to live up to the hype.
| 1,063 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Insightful and thought-provoking
|
I watched this film twice in two days, because it so resonated with information I had already discovered in researching issues of the Middle East. The history of squandered opportunities in the late 20th century for peace has already been documented elsewhere, and the film was consistent and realistic in its portrayal of that. As well, Clooney and the writers did an excellent job of highlighting the trail of misfortune and tragedy that gives rise to extremism. It is an unbiased and realistic look at a spiraling conflict with few easy answers. Watching it with an informed, non-prejudicial frame of mind will be rewarding and stimulating...and sobering.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AENMVQTQML7FV5WLO7YTXSTDB2FQ
| 1,196,329,468,000 | 3 |
I watched this film twice in two days, because it so resonated with information I had already discovered in researching issues of the Middle East. The history of squandered opportunities in the late 20th century for peace has already been documented elsewhere, and the film was consistent and realistic in its portrayal of that. As well, Clooney and the writers did an excellent job of highlighting the trail of misfortune and tragedy that gives rise to extremism. It is an unbiased and realistic look at a spiraling conflict with few easy answers. Watching it with an informed, nonprejudicial frame of mind will be rewarding and stimulating...and sobering.
| 657 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Insightful and thought-provoking
|
I watched this film twice in two days, because it so resonated with information I had already discovered in researching issues of the Middle East. The history of squandered opportunities in the late 20th century for peace has already been documented elsewhere, and the film was consistent and realistic in its portrayal of that. As well, Clooney and the writers did an excellent job of highlighting the trail of misfortune and tragedy that gives rise to extremism. It is an unbiased and realistic look at a spiraling conflict with few easy answers. Watching it with an informed, non-prejudicial frame of mind will be rewarding and stimulating...and sobering.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AENMVQTQML7FV5WLO7YTXSTDB2FQ
| 1,196,329,468,000 | 3 |
I watched this film twice in two days, because it so resonated with information I had already discovered in researching issues of the Middle East. The history of squandered opportunities in the late 20th century for peace has already been documented elsewhere, and the film was consistent and realistic in its portrayal of that. As well, Clooney and the writers did an excellent job of highlighting the trail of misfortune and tragedy that gives rise to extremism. It is an unbiased and realistic look at a spiraling conflict with few easy answers. Watching it with an informed, nonprejudicial frame of mind will be rewarding and stimulating...and sobering.
| 657 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
i know theres a plot somewhere(i think)
|
ummm ok if someone could explain the plot to me i would enjoy this movie. actors are great everything is fine just what is this piece of trash about? where is the plot where is the story? in writting before you do anything you have to develp the plot and the storyline otherwise you have nothing. someone needs to teach the writer of this movie how to write and ok you can make people confused but at least explain it a litttle or leave them confused but at least have some reason why we are confused. this movie is just confuseing because theres no plot no reason for anything in this movie to happen. Matt Damons kid dies why? Groege Cloney gets kidnapped by terrorists why? things happen here but why? the story is suppose to serve the plot but here there is no plot so we just have a bunch of stories(5 of them) that make absolutley no sense at all.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHVKQAFGDHQPWSKNLDY2LLRT2IUQ
| 1,165,603,421,000 | 12 |
ummm ok if someone could explain the plot to me i would enjoy this movie. actors are great everything is fine just what is this piece of trash about? where is the plot where is the story? in writting before you do anything you have to develp the plot and the storyline otherwise you have nothing. someone needs to teach the writer of this movie how to write and ok you can make people confused but at least explain it a litttle or leave them confused but at least have some reason why we are confused. this movie is just confuseing because theres no plot no reason for anything in this movie to happen. Matt Damons kid dies why? Groege Cloney gets kidnapped by terrorists why? things happen here but why? the story is suppose to serve the plot but here there is no plot so we just have a bunch of stories5 of them that make absolutley no sense at all.
| 851 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
i know theres a plot somewhere(i think)
|
ummm ok if someone could explain the plot to me i would enjoy this movie. actors are great everything is fine just what is this piece of trash about? where is the plot where is the story? in writting before you do anything you have to develp the plot and the storyline otherwise you have nothing. someone needs to teach the writer of this movie how to write and ok you can make people confused but at least explain it a litttle or leave them confused but at least have some reason why we are confused. this movie is just confuseing because theres no plot no reason for anything in this movie to happen. Matt Damons kid dies why? Groege Cloney gets kidnapped by terrorists why? things happen here but why? the story is suppose to serve the plot but here there is no plot so we just have a bunch of stories(5 of them) that make absolutley no sense at all.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHVKQAFGDHQPWSKNLDY2LLRT2IUQ
| 1,165,603,421,000 | 12 |
ummm ok if someone could explain the plot to me i would enjoy this movie. actors are great everything is fine just what is this piece of trash about? where is the plot where is the story? in writting before you do anything you have to develp the plot and the storyline otherwise you have nothing. someone needs to teach the writer of this movie how to write and ok you can make people confused but at least explain it a litttle or leave them confused but at least have some reason why we are confused. this movie is just confuseing because theres no plot no reason for anything in this movie to happen. Matt Damons kid dies why? Groege Cloney gets kidnapped by terrorists why? things happen here but why? the story is suppose to serve the plot but here there is no plot so we just have a bunch of stories5 of them that make absolutley no sense at all.
| 851 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
proof of dumbing down of American film audience
|
The number of negative reviews here, esp. of the "I didn't get, it left me baffled" type, even after 5 years of blood-for-oil war on 2 fronts, is a directly proportional gauge of the self indulgent ignorance of Americans at large regarding their own oil addiction and its genocidal consequences.<br /><br />A possible cure is for these willfully cretinous simpletons to buy the DVD and watch the 2nd "special feature" , "Participate & make a difference/change".<br /><br />This film is the best you can hope for from Hollywood regarding geopolitical analysis, and readily stands up to multiple viewing, but, without more than two brain cells to rub together, or the lack of self discipline to think any harder than necessary to watch Wizard of Oz, even Tinseltown's best efforts are wasted as pearl before swine, a Biblical reference for Jack Abramoff's captive gospel thumping flag wrapped "patriots" in hope it might be their access to enlightment as to, and thereby salvation from, their sins perpetrated in the name of the marketed greed branded as civic duty to consume like locusts.<br /><br />If you still don't get it but want to, READ THE BOOK by Robt Baer.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFNST4F3JWDOSL77OW462LRTGX7A
| 1,180,586,367,000 | 14 |
The number of negative reviews here, esp. of the I didn't get, it left me baffled type, even after 5 years of bloodforoil war on 2 fronts, is a directly proportional gauge of the self indulgent ignorance of Americans at large regarding their own oil addiction and its genocidal consequences.br br A possible cure is for these willfully cretinous simpletons to buy the DVD and watch the 2nd special feature , Participate make a differencechange.br br This film is the best you can hope for from Hollywood regarding geopolitical analysis, and readily stands up to multiple viewing, but, without more than two brain cells to rub together, or the lack of self discipline to think any harder than necessary to watch Wizard of Oz, even Tinseltown's best efforts are wasted as pearl before swine, a Biblical reference for Jack Abramoff's captive gospel thumping flag wrapped patriots in hope it might be their access to enlightment as to, and thereby salvation from, their sins perpetrated in the name of the marketed greed branded as civic duty to consume like locusts.br br If you still don't get it but want to, READ THE BOOK by Robt Baer.
| 1,135 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
proof of dumbing down of American film audience
|
The number of negative reviews here, esp. of the "I didn't get, it left me baffled" type, even after 5 years of blood-for-oil war on 2 fronts, is a directly proportional gauge of the self indulgent ignorance of Americans at large regarding their own oil addiction and its genocidal consequences.<br /><br />A possible cure is for these willfully cretinous simpletons to buy the DVD and watch the 2nd "special feature" , "Participate & make a difference/change".<br /><br />This film is the best you can hope for from Hollywood regarding geopolitical analysis, and readily stands up to multiple viewing, but, without more than two brain cells to rub together, or the lack of self discipline to think any harder than necessary to watch Wizard of Oz, even Tinseltown's best efforts are wasted as pearl before swine, a Biblical reference for Jack Abramoff's captive gospel thumping flag wrapped "patriots" in hope it might be their access to enlightment as to, and thereby salvation from, their sins perpetrated in the name of the marketed greed branded as civic duty to consume like locusts.<br /><br />If you still don't get it but want to, READ THE BOOK by Robt Baer.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFNST4F3JWDOSL77OW462LRTGX7A
| 1,180,586,367,000 | 14 |
The number of negative reviews here, esp. of the I didn't get, it left me baffled type, even after 5 years of bloodforoil war on 2 fronts, is a directly proportional gauge of the self indulgent ignorance of Americans at large regarding their own oil addiction and its genocidal consequences.br br A possible cure is for these willfully cretinous simpletons to buy the DVD and watch the 2nd special feature , Participate make a differencechange.br br This film is the best you can hope for from Hollywood regarding geopolitical analysis, and readily stands up to multiple viewing, but, without more than two brain cells to rub together, or the lack of self discipline to think any harder than necessary to watch Wizard of Oz, even Tinseltown's best efforts are wasted as pearl before swine, a Biblical reference for Jack Abramoff's captive gospel thumping flag wrapped patriots in hope it might be their access to enlightment as to, and thereby salvation from, their sins perpetrated in the name of the marketed greed branded as civic duty to consume like locusts.br br If you still don't get it but want to, READ THE BOOK by Robt Baer.
| 1,135 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Don't waste 2 hours of your life
|
This is a truly awful movie that contains some fine acting, a fact which causes me to feel guilty about hating it so much. With 290+ reviews, I'm not going to write anything of length, except to say that when you see the end of the movie, you'll be astonished that all the pseudo-virtuosic storytelling techniques--which made it so tediously complicated, a mental exercise nowhere approaching entertainment or edification--simply resulted in a display of the most banal stereotypes imaginable. If you react like I did, you'll hate yourself for sticking with it to its incredibly trite end, because the payout, after a lot of labor, is really scant.<br /><br />What a bore.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHHTWWLZVVII4IHWI7LZVJ67UDOA
| 1,175,312,207,000 | 15 |
This is a truly awful movie that contains some fine acting, a fact which causes me to feel guilty about hating it so much. With 290 reviews, I'm not going to write anything of length, except to say that when you see the end of the movie, you'll be astonished that all the pseudovirtuosic storytelling techniqueswhich made it so tediously complicated, a mental exercise nowhere approaching entertainment or edificationsimply resulted in a display of the most banal stereotypes imaginable. If you react like I did, you'll hate yourself for sticking with it to its incredibly trite end, because the payout, after a lot of labor, is really scant.br br What a bore.
| 660 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Don't waste 2 hours of your life
|
This is a truly awful movie that contains some fine acting, a fact which causes me to feel guilty about hating it so much. With 290+ reviews, I'm not going to write anything of length, except to say that when you see the end of the movie, you'll be astonished that all the pseudo-virtuosic storytelling techniques--which made it so tediously complicated, a mental exercise nowhere approaching entertainment or edification--simply resulted in a display of the most banal stereotypes imaginable. If you react like I did, you'll hate yourself for sticking with it to its incredibly trite end, because the payout, after a lot of labor, is really scant.<br /><br />What a bore.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHHTWWLZVVII4IHWI7LZVJ67UDOA
| 1,175,312,207,000 | 15 |
This is a truly awful movie that contains some fine acting, a fact which causes me to feel guilty about hating it so much. With 290 reviews, I'm not going to write anything of length, except to say that when you see the end of the movie, you'll be astonished that all the pseudovirtuosic storytelling techniqueswhich made it so tediously complicated, a mental exercise nowhere approaching entertainment or edificationsimply resulted in a display of the most banal stereotypes imaginable. If you react like I did, you'll hate yourself for sticking with it to its incredibly trite end, because the payout, after a lot of labor, is really scant.br br What a bore.
| 660 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Disappointing
|
I was looking forward to seeing this movie but was disappointed. The various plots are extremely difficult to follow, though some became clearer after watching the 'deleted scenes' section of the DVD. This movie is ultimately pointless. I was hoping to gain some insight into the world of mideast oil and politics, but learned nothing. The scenes and thin story lines depicted only what is already common knowledge. Poorly made and worse-edited, it represents a missed opportunity because it could have been educational and fascinating.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFSQUMJSBZJA44RCL4UPF3SNAF2Q
| 1,169,399,029,000 | 6 |
I was looking forward to seeing this movie but was disappointed. The various plots are extremely difficult to follow, though some became clearer after watching the 'deleted scenes' section of the DVD. This movie is ultimately pointless. I was hoping to gain some insight into the world of mideast oil and politics, but learned nothing. The scenes and thin story lines depicted only what is already common knowledge. Poorly made and worseedited, it represents a missed opportunity because it could have been educational and fascinating.
| 535 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
Disappointing
|
I was looking forward to seeing this movie but was disappointed. The various plots are extremely difficult to follow, though some became clearer after watching the 'deleted scenes' section of the DVD. This movie is ultimately pointless. I was hoping to gain some insight into the world of mideast oil and politics, but learned nothing. The scenes and thin story lines depicted only what is already common knowledge. Poorly made and worse-edited, it represents a missed opportunity because it could have been educational and fascinating.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFSQUMJSBZJA44RCL4UPF3SNAF2Q
| 1,169,399,029,000 | 6 |
I was looking forward to seeing this movie but was disappointed. The various plots are extremely difficult to follow, though some became clearer after watching the 'deleted scenes' section of the DVD. This movie is ultimately pointless. I was hoping to gain some insight into the world of mideast oil and politics, but learned nothing. The scenes and thin story lines depicted only what is already common knowledge. Poorly made and worseedited, it represents a missed opportunity because it could have been educational and fascinating.
| 535 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
good movie but you have to keep up
|
this is a good movie but i think it is unnecessarily complicated. if you blink you are going to miss something and then the whole movie does not make sense. this would have been a much better movie had the writers decided to make it easier to follow.<br /><br />expect to pay very close attention to this movie with no distractions or to watch it more than once.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFJO47LVVTYJ5OG3WDG5FNH5BVVA
| 1,172,189,095,000 | 1 |
this is a good movie but i think it is unnecessarily complicated. if you blink you are going to miss something and then the whole movie does not make sense. this would have been a much better movie had the writers decided to make it easier to follow.br br expect to pay very close attention to this movie with no distractions or to watch it more than once.
| 356 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
good movie but you have to keep up
|
this is a good movie but i think it is unnecessarily complicated. if you blink you are going to miss something and then the whole movie does not make sense. this would have been a much better movie had the writers decided to make it easier to follow.<br /><br />expect to pay very close attention to this movie with no distractions or to watch it more than once.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFJO47LVVTYJ5OG3WDG5FNH5BVVA
| 1,172,189,095,000 | 1 |
this is a good movie but i think it is unnecessarily complicated. if you blink you are going to miss something and then the whole movie does not make sense. this would have been a much better movie had the writers decided to make it easier to follow.br br expect to pay very close attention to this movie with no distractions or to watch it more than once.
| 356 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
When Clooney is confused we are confused
|
I strongly sense the confusion in this film is not deliberate, but rather due to poor editing and a jumbled script. There is way too much going on in this film and more is not necessarily better. About a half dozen storylines should have been stripped out of this film, since they become loose strings in the end. Really, only three storylines matter here and not one of them is the storyline that follows Clooney's character. Whatever statement this movie was trying to make is simply lost in all the clutter. If this jumble of storylines was deliberate, then it was a nice attempt but ultimately a failure. If it wasn't, well, find a better film editor.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AE54VSCTGB2L3NKOC6WH5MAJZAZA
| 1,198,855,493,000 | 5 |
I strongly sense the confusion in this film is not deliberate, but rather due to poor editing and a jumbled script. There is way too much going on in this film and more is not necessarily better. About a half dozen storylines should have been stripped out of this film, since they become loose strings in the end. Really, only three storylines matter here and not one of them is the storyline that follows Clooney's character. Whatever statement this movie was trying to make is simply lost in all the clutter. If this jumble of storylines was deliberate, then it was a nice attempt but ultimately a failure. If it wasn't, well, find a better film editor.
| 655 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 2 |
When Clooney is confused we are confused
|
I strongly sense the confusion in this film is not deliberate, but rather due to poor editing and a jumbled script. There is way too much going on in this film and more is not necessarily better. About a half dozen storylines should have been stripped out of this film, since they become loose strings in the end. Really, only three storylines matter here and not one of them is the storyline that follows Clooney's character. Whatever statement this movie was trying to make is simply lost in all the clutter. If this jumble of storylines was deliberate, then it was a nice attempt but ultimately a failure. If it wasn't, well, find a better film editor.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AE54VSCTGB2L3NKOC6WH5MAJZAZA
| 1,198,855,493,000 | 5 |
I strongly sense the confusion in this film is not deliberate, but rather due to poor editing and a jumbled script. There is way too much going on in this film and more is not necessarily better. About a half dozen storylines should have been stripped out of this film, since they become loose strings in the end. Really, only three storylines matter here and not one of them is the storyline that follows Clooney's character. Whatever statement this movie was trying to make is simply lost in all the clutter. If this jumble of storylines was deliberate, then it was a nice attempt but ultimately a failure. If it wasn't, well, find a better film editor.
| 655 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Five Stars
|
it was ok and on time
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFYGOXFZKQW5RG3X6UDBAJE4S5AQ
| 1,411,827,623,000 | 0 |
it was ok and on time
| 21 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
Five Stars
|
it was ok and on time
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFYGOXFZKQW5RG3X6UDBAJE4S5AQ
| 1,411,827,623,000 | 0 |
it was ok and on time
| 21 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
This is why people go to movies
|
One of George Clooney's finest films. There was a certain intrigue to the movie that would appear and disappear like clock work. My compliments to the director.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGMHAKV67Q2G6JHQM3UXWZ6MUALA
| 1,656,644,630,973 | 0 |
One of George Clooney's finest films. There was a certain intrigue to the movie that would appear and disappear like clock work. My compliments to the director.
| 160 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
This is why people go to movies
|
One of George Clooney's finest films. There was a certain intrigue to the movie that would appear and disappear like clock work. My compliments to the director.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGMHAKV67Q2G6JHQM3UXWZ6MUALA
| 1,656,644,630,973 | 0 |
One of George Clooney's finest films. There was a certain intrigue to the movie that would appear and disappear like clock work. My compliments to the director.
| 160 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Wake Me When It's Over.
|
This movie was staggeringly boring. And no...It's not because I don't understand the subject matter. It's another Clooney message movie, but this one can't really decide what message it wants to convey. Someone needs to remind George that a movie should actually have a plot and a at least one character that the audience will give a damn about. What a waste of time and popcorn.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AF37BMEEJJ6XILVGKCYIIG4VRI3Q
| 1,189,527,531,000 | 3 |
This movie was staggeringly boring. And no...It's not because I don't understand the subject matter. It's another Clooney message movie, but this one can't really decide what message it wants to convey. Someone needs to remind George that a movie should actually have a plot and a at least one character that the audience will give a damn about. What a waste of time and popcorn.
| 379 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Wake Me When It's Over.
|
This movie was staggeringly boring. And no...It's not because I don't understand the subject matter. It's another Clooney message movie, but this one can't really decide what message it wants to convey. Someone needs to remind George that a movie should actually have a plot and a at least one character that the audience will give a damn about. What a waste of time and popcorn.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AF37BMEEJJ6XILVGKCYIIG4VRI3Q
| 1,189,527,531,000 | 3 |
This movie was staggeringly boring. And no...It's not because I don't understand the subject matter. It's another Clooney message movie, but this one can't really decide what message it wants to convey. Someone needs to remind George that a movie should actually have a plot and a at least one character that the audience will give a damn about. What a waste of time and popcorn.
| 379 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Sorry George
|
I love your work I will watch anythig that has you in it, simply because you are in it, and in my mind you are a fantastic actor. However this movie I could not make it through, three times thus far I have sat down to watch it, not including once in the theatres, and everytime no matter how loud the speakers, or bright the screen, I was unable to stay awake. I have not yet given up on it, but at this point in time I am forced to say this film takes you three stops passed the boresville station.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGMBJDTJ7M735WPUEM5HBDS3ZYWA
| 1,170,783,865,000 | 4 |
I love your work I will watch anythig that has you in it, simply because you are in it, and in my mind you are a fantastic actor. However this movie I could not make it through, three times thus far I have sat down to watch it, not including once in the theatres, and everytime no matter how loud the speakers, or bright the screen, I was unable to stay awake. I have not yet given up on it, but at this point in time I am forced to say this film takes you three stops passed the boresville station.
| 499 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Sorry George
|
I love your work I will watch anythig that has you in it, simply because you are in it, and in my mind you are a fantastic actor. However this movie I could not make it through, three times thus far I have sat down to watch it, not including once in the theatres, and everytime no matter how loud the speakers, or bright the screen, I was unable to stay awake. I have not yet given up on it, but at this point in time I am forced to say this film takes you three stops passed the boresville station.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGMBJDTJ7M735WPUEM5HBDS3ZYWA
| 1,170,783,865,000 | 4 |
I love your work I will watch anythig that has you in it, simply because you are in it, and in my mind you are a fantastic actor. However this movie I could not make it through, three times thus far I have sat down to watch it, not including once in the theatres, and everytime no matter how loud the speakers, or bright the screen, I was unable to stay awake. I have not yet given up on it, but at this point in time I am forced to say this film takes you three stops passed the boresville station.
| 499 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
pay attention to the details
|
I would say this plot offers up more suspense and intriguing details than any Tom Clancy movie I've ever seen. It wasn't until about an hour into the story that things finally started to make sense. But, from that point on, I was hanging onto every word and piecing together every detail.<br /><br />The trick to understanding this movie before it's over is to remember the names. Once you get to the point when you know who's who, everything else unfolds from there.<br /><br />So, what's going on?<br /><br />Matt Damon is a financial advisor to Prince Nassir. Prince Nassir's family just approved a deal for the chinese to come in and set up shop as oil drillers, as the chinese offered the highest bid.<br /><br />However, the US wants to cut the chinese out of the picture so that the newly merged connex and the smaller oil company can do their thing in place of the chinese.<br /><br />So, now we're at that scene when the old guy is talking to Prince Nassir's younger brother on the yacht. What you have to infer is that the "wish" that Nassir's younger brother wants the "cat's paw" to grant is to have his older brother, Prince Nassir, assassinated. In return for the favor, the US will get the oil contract instead of the chinese.<br /><br />That's when the CIA have George Clooney arrange for Prince Nassir to be assassinated. However, you know that doesn't work out. You might recall the torture scene. After Clooney narrowly escapes certain death, the torturer threatens to reveal the CIA's assassination attempt to the media.<br /><br />Next we see Clooney threatening the old man in the cafe. A trusted former co-worker had informed Clooney that the old man is setting him up to be the fall guy for any negative backlash resulting from the exposure of the failed assassination attempt.<br /><br />Once Clooney is able to get his passports back, he attempts to intercept Prince Nassir on the desert freeway and warn him of the danger to his life. In the freeway scene, Nassir has re-established relations with the Chinese; and with the help of 9 out of 11 of the country's generals, he is attempting to de-throne his conniving, ambitious younger brother.<br /><br />So, everything else is pretty much straightforward.<br /><br />Syrania illustrates the following points of controversy:<br /><br />1. The US uses its intelligence community resources to eliminate opposition to its oil interests.<br /><br />2. US government watchdogs are helpless to make an impact on anti-trust violations committed by oil companies, while the intelligence community acts as an accomplice to those violations.<br /><br />3. The US strategically ensures that oil producing countries do not improve their infrastructure, economy..etc., so as to keep them more easily controlled.<br /><br />Again, those are the points of view illustrated by this movie; they are not my own.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFOWZB5LDMENNPS6GW35LV7OLSJQ
| 1,152,348,724,000 | 145 |
I would say this plot offers up more suspense and intriguing details than any Tom Clancy movie I've ever seen. It wasn't until about an hour into the story that things finally started to make sense. But, from that point on, I was hanging onto every word and piecing together every detail.br br The trick to understanding this movie before it's over is to remember the names. Once you get to the point when you know who's who, everything else unfolds from there.br br So, what's going on?br br Matt Damon is a financial advisor to Prince Nassir. Prince Nassir's family just approved a deal for the chinese to come in and set up shop as oil drillers, as the chinese offered the highest bid.br br However, the US wants to cut the chinese out of the picture so that the newly merged connex and the smaller oil company can do their thing in place of the chinese.br br So, now we're at that scene when the old guy is talking to Prince Nassir's younger brother on the yacht. What you have to infer is that the wish that Nassir's younger brother wants the cat's paw to grant is to have his older brother, Prince Nassir, assassinated. In return for the favor, the US will get the oil contract instead of the chinese.br br That's when the CIA have George Clooney arrange for Prince Nassir to be assassinated. However, you know that doesn't work out. You might recall the torture scene. After Clooney narrowly escapes certain death, the torturer threatens to reveal the CIA's assassination attempt to the media.br br Next we see Clooney threatening the old man in the cafe. A trusted former coworker had informed Clooney that the old man is setting him up to be the fall guy for any negative backlash resulting from the exposure of the failed assassination attempt.br br Once Clooney is able to get his passports back, he attempts to intercept Prince Nassir on the desert freeway and warn him of the danger to his life. In the freeway scene, Nassir has reestablished relations with the Chinese and with the help of 9 out of 11 of the country's generals, he is attempting to dethrone his conniving, ambitious younger brother.br br So, everything else is pretty much straightforward.br br Syrania illustrates the following points of controversybr br 1. The US uses its intelligence community resources to eliminate opposition to its oil interests.br br 2. US government watchdogs are helpless to make an impact on antitrust violations committed by oil companies, while the intelligence community acts as an accomplice to those violations.br br 3. The US strategically ensures that oil producing countries do not improve their infrastructure, economy..etc., so as to keep them more easily controlled.br br Again, those are the points of view illustrated by this movie they are not my own.
| 2,774 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
pay attention to the details
|
I would say this plot offers up more suspense and intriguing details than any Tom Clancy movie I've ever seen. It wasn't until about an hour into the story that things finally started to make sense. But, from that point on, I was hanging onto every word and piecing together every detail.<br /><br />The trick to understanding this movie before it's over is to remember the names. Once you get to the point when you know who's who, everything else unfolds from there.<br /><br />So, what's going on?<br /><br />Matt Damon is a financial advisor to Prince Nassir. Prince Nassir's family just approved a deal for the chinese to come in and set up shop as oil drillers, as the chinese offered the highest bid.<br /><br />However, the US wants to cut the chinese out of the picture so that the newly merged connex and the smaller oil company can do their thing in place of the chinese.<br /><br />So, now we're at that scene when the old guy is talking to Prince Nassir's younger brother on the yacht. What you have to infer is that the "wish" that Nassir's younger brother wants the "cat's paw" to grant is to have his older brother, Prince Nassir, assassinated. In return for the favor, the US will get the oil contract instead of the chinese.<br /><br />That's when the CIA have George Clooney arrange for Prince Nassir to be assassinated. However, you know that doesn't work out. You might recall the torture scene. After Clooney narrowly escapes certain death, the torturer threatens to reveal the CIA's assassination attempt to the media.<br /><br />Next we see Clooney threatening the old man in the cafe. A trusted former co-worker had informed Clooney that the old man is setting him up to be the fall guy for any negative backlash resulting from the exposure of the failed assassination attempt.<br /><br />Once Clooney is able to get his passports back, he attempts to intercept Prince Nassir on the desert freeway and warn him of the danger to his life. In the freeway scene, Nassir has re-established relations with the Chinese; and with the help of 9 out of 11 of the country's generals, he is attempting to de-throne his conniving, ambitious younger brother.<br /><br />So, everything else is pretty much straightforward.<br /><br />Syrania illustrates the following points of controversy:<br /><br />1. The US uses its intelligence community resources to eliminate opposition to its oil interests.<br /><br />2. US government watchdogs are helpless to make an impact on anti-trust violations committed by oil companies, while the intelligence community acts as an accomplice to those violations.<br /><br />3. The US strategically ensures that oil producing countries do not improve their infrastructure, economy..etc., so as to keep them more easily controlled.<br /><br />Again, those are the points of view illustrated by this movie; they are not my own.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFOWZB5LDMENNPS6GW35LV7OLSJQ
| 1,152,348,724,000 | 145 |
I would say this plot offers up more suspense and intriguing details than any Tom Clancy movie I've ever seen. It wasn't until about an hour into the story that things finally started to make sense. But, from that point on, I was hanging onto every word and piecing together every detail.br br The trick to understanding this movie before it's over is to remember the names. Once you get to the point when you know who's who, everything else unfolds from there.br br So, what's going on?br br Matt Damon is a financial advisor to Prince Nassir. Prince Nassir's family just approved a deal for the chinese to come in and set up shop as oil drillers, as the chinese offered the highest bid.br br However, the US wants to cut the chinese out of the picture so that the newly merged connex and the smaller oil company can do their thing in place of the chinese.br br So, now we're at that scene when the old guy is talking to Prince Nassir's younger brother on the yacht. What you have to infer is that the wish that Nassir's younger brother wants the cat's paw to grant is to have his older brother, Prince Nassir, assassinated. In return for the favor, the US will get the oil contract instead of the chinese.br br That's when the CIA have George Clooney arrange for Prince Nassir to be assassinated. However, you know that doesn't work out. You might recall the torture scene. After Clooney narrowly escapes certain death, the torturer threatens to reveal the CIA's assassination attempt to the media.br br Next we see Clooney threatening the old man in the cafe. A trusted former coworker had informed Clooney that the old man is setting him up to be the fall guy for any negative backlash resulting from the exposure of the failed assassination attempt.br br Once Clooney is able to get his passports back, he attempts to intercept Prince Nassir on the desert freeway and warn him of the danger to his life. In the freeway scene, Nassir has reestablished relations with the Chinese and with the help of 9 out of 11 of the country's generals, he is attempting to dethrone his conniving, ambitious younger brother.br br So, everything else is pretty much straightforward.br br Syrania illustrates the following points of controversybr br 1. The US uses its intelligence community resources to eliminate opposition to its oil interests.br br 2. US government watchdogs are helpless to make an impact on antitrust violations committed by oil companies, while the intelligence community acts as an accomplice to those violations.br br 3. The US strategically ensures that oil producing countries do not improve their infrastructure, economy..etc., so as to keep them more easily controlled.br br Again, those are the points of view illustrated by this movie they are not my own.
| 2,774 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
World-Class Trip
|
This is a film in a category by itself. It's a thriller, perhaps. It's a mystery, perhaps. It's political, perhaps. It doesn't comfortably fit into any one, all-inclusive category and it doesn't use any cliches I've ever seen. The photography is amazing and the actors manage well enough. This isn't an actor's film. The mystery angle is given to the viewer to piece together an abundance of information scattered along the way. There is suspense, but not of any traditional kind. Its implications are political, economic and moral. What we don't know can definitely hurt us - and has - and is.<br /><br />Curtis Stotlar
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHUMWI5SZYULQBC5KB5W5RMPO4NA
| 1,333,822,735,000 | 2 |
This is a film in a category by itself. It's a thriller, perhaps. It's a mystery, perhaps. It's political, perhaps. It doesn't comfortably fit into any one, allinclusive category and it doesn't use any cliches I've ever seen. The photography is amazing and the actors manage well enough. This isn't an actor's film. The mystery angle is given to the viewer to piece together an abundance of information scattered along the way. There is suspense, but not of any traditional kind. Its implications are political, economic and moral. What we don't know can definitely hurt us and has and is.br br Curtis Stotlar
| 609 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
World-Class Trip
|
This is a film in a category by itself. It's a thriller, perhaps. It's a mystery, perhaps. It's political, perhaps. It doesn't comfortably fit into any one, all-inclusive category and it doesn't use any cliches I've ever seen. The photography is amazing and the actors manage well enough. This isn't an actor's film. The mystery angle is given to the viewer to piece together an abundance of information scattered along the way. There is suspense, but not of any traditional kind. Its implications are political, economic and moral. What we don't know can definitely hurt us - and has - and is.<br /><br />Curtis Stotlar
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AHUMWI5SZYULQBC5KB5W5RMPO4NA
| 1,333,822,735,000 | 2 |
This is a film in a category by itself. It's a thriller, perhaps. It's a mystery, perhaps. It's political, perhaps. It doesn't comfortably fit into any one, allinclusive category and it doesn't use any cliches I've ever seen. The photography is amazing and the actors manage well enough. This isn't an actor's film. The mystery angle is given to the viewer to piece together an abundance of information scattered along the way. There is suspense, but not of any traditional kind. Its implications are political, economic and moral. What we don't know can definitely hurt us and has and is.br br Curtis Stotlar
| 609 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
A Classic, Brilliant in all Respects
|
The movie itself is superb. As Clooney says in the special features, the star of this film is the screenplay.With Clooney's "Bob" loosely based on Bob Bauer( to hear more of Bob Bauer, check out his commentary on RED ), this has plenty of realism from the intelligence side, and the consultants are not party political, but as they emphasize, they aim at being a-political; however, I am aware that me saying that is not going to be agree-able to some. Since the film reveals the structure of what happens, and as one producer says, those people doing things that we might think as morally questionable do not see them as such, in fact they have very good arguments to support their side. So, as stated a few times, its not all black and white but more grey, with plenty of scope for questions.This is a brilliant watch with a superb finish.<br /> The extras show some great material, and the deleted scenes are great, and I would question why they were deleted.<br /> A note about second hand items: I bought this accidentally as second hand ( I thought I had bought a new copy); I did not worry since it was Amazon, and I thought with a rating of "Used" Very Good", I thought it would be great. Well, the digital break up at the start and finish of the film is extreme for a "Very Good" copy, and might be passable for Good or "Okay", but not "Very Good".I will avoid second hand movies in the future.Meanwhile I will hopefully be able to buy a new copy somewhere.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEH5374WXML6YIXZROSJADFGZRQA
| 1,297,540,503,000 | 0 |
The movie itself is superb. As Clooney says in the special features, the star of this film is the screenplay.With Clooney's Bob loosely based on Bob Bauer to hear more of Bob Bauer, check out his commentary on RED , this has plenty of realism from the intelligence side, and the consultants are not party political, but as they emphasize, they aim at being apolitical however, I am aware that me saying that is not going to be agreeable to some. Since the film reveals the structure of what happens, and as one producer says, those people doing things that we might think as morally questionable do not see them as such, in fact they have very good arguments to support their side. So, as stated a few times, its not all black and white but more grey, with plenty of scope for questions.This is a brilliant watch with a superb finish.br The extras show some great material, and the deleted scenes are great, and I would question why they were deleted.br A note about second hand items I bought this accidentally as second hand I thought I had bought a new copy I did not worry since it was Amazon, and I thought with a rating of Used Very Good, I thought it would be great. Well, the digital break up at the start and finish of the film is extreme for a Very Good copy, and might be passable for Good or Okay, but not Very Good.I will avoid second hand movies in the future.Meanwhile I will hopefully be able to buy a new copy somewhere.
| 1,437 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
A Classic, Brilliant in all Respects
|
The movie itself is superb. As Clooney says in the special features, the star of this film is the screenplay.With Clooney's "Bob" loosely based on Bob Bauer( to hear more of Bob Bauer, check out his commentary on RED ), this has plenty of realism from the intelligence side, and the consultants are not party political, but as they emphasize, they aim at being a-political; however, I am aware that me saying that is not going to be agree-able to some. Since the film reveals the structure of what happens, and as one producer says, those people doing things that we might think as morally questionable do not see them as such, in fact they have very good arguments to support their side. So, as stated a few times, its not all black and white but more grey, with plenty of scope for questions.This is a brilliant watch with a superb finish.<br /> The extras show some great material, and the deleted scenes are great, and I would question why they were deleted.<br /> A note about second hand items: I bought this accidentally as second hand ( I thought I had bought a new copy); I did not worry since it was Amazon, and I thought with a rating of "Used" Very Good", I thought it would be great. Well, the digital break up at the start and finish of the film is extreme for a "Very Good" copy, and might be passable for Good or "Okay", but not "Very Good".I will avoid second hand movies in the future.Meanwhile I will hopefully be able to buy a new copy somewhere.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEH5374WXML6YIXZROSJADFGZRQA
| 1,297,540,503,000 | 0 |
The movie itself is superb. As Clooney says in the special features, the star of this film is the screenplay.With Clooney's Bob loosely based on Bob Bauer to hear more of Bob Bauer, check out his commentary on RED , this has plenty of realism from the intelligence side, and the consultants are not party political, but as they emphasize, they aim at being apolitical however, I am aware that me saying that is not going to be agreeable to some. Since the film reveals the structure of what happens, and as one producer says, those people doing things that we might think as morally questionable do not see them as such, in fact they have very good arguments to support their side. So, as stated a few times, its not all black and white but more grey, with plenty of scope for questions.This is a brilliant watch with a superb finish.br The extras show some great material, and the deleted scenes are great, and I would question why they were deleted.br A note about second hand items I bought this accidentally as second hand I thought I had bought a new copy I did not worry since it was Amazon, and I thought with a rating of Used Very Good, I thought it would be great. Well, the digital break up at the start and finish of the film is extreme for a Very Good copy, and might be passable for Good or Okay, but not Very Good.I will avoid second hand movies in the future.Meanwhile I will hopefully be able to buy a new copy somewhere.
| 1,437 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
Too clever and ham-fisted - 'Syriana' wants to be 'Traffic'
|
Syriana wants to be [[ASIN:B000067IZ3 Traffic]] in its worldly, interweaving meditation on global complexity with warnings on the law of unintended consequences. [[ASIN:B000MCH5P4 Babel]] and [[ASIN:B000A3XY5A Crash (Widescreen Edition)]] fall into the same genre, though the latter on more of a local scale.<br /><br />The 'Traffic' connection isn't a surprise since Syriana's director/co-writer Stephen Gaghan won an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay. In the making of featurette, all the lead actors speak of their strong desire to work with him. I saw the original Channel 4 (UK) mini-series [[ASIN:B001Y44DHW Traffik]] and - while certainly not a paint-by-numbers job - you can draw straight lines between the plot and characters of the two works. On the basis of that, Gaghan has this pull. I don't really get that.<br /><br />'Syriana' is hard to follow. Not that I can't follow or appreciate complicated narratives (Jacques Audiard's masterpiece [[ASIN:B002BWP3UC A Prophet]] is great in that regard), but 'Syriana' seems too clever by half at times and - at other times - ham-fisted: corporate interests, bad; CIA, evil-doers in their own right. The end of the movie strikes me as implausible even in an era of extraordinary rendition and water-boarding. I won't give it away here but only to say that it's an unholy alliance of the suits and the spooks with some all-too-transparent targeting of a public figure.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFJILE67IV7DBENLHAYG5MWVU4RQ
| 1,287,668,929,000 | 1 |
Syriana wants to be ASINB000067IZ3 Traffic in its worldly, interweaving meditation on global complexity with warnings on the law of unintended consequences. ASINB000MCH5P4 Babel and ASINB000A3XY5A Crash Widescreen Edition fall into the same genre, though the latter on more of a local scale.br br The 'Traffic' connection isn't a surprise since Syriana's directorcowriter Stephen Gaghan won an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay. In the making of featurette, all the lead actors speak of their strong desire to work with him. I saw the original Channel 4 UK miniseries ASINB001Y44DHW Traffik and while certainly not a paintbynumbers job you can draw straight lines between the plot and characters of the two works. On the basis of that, Gaghan has this pull. I don't really get that.br br 'Syriana' is hard to follow. Not that I can't follow or appreciate complicated narratives Jacques Audiard's masterpiece ASINB002BWP3UC A Prophet is great in that regard, but 'Syriana' seems too clever by half at times and at other times hamfisted corporate interests, bad CIA, evildoers in their own right. The end of the movie strikes me as implausible even in an era of extraordinary rendition and waterboarding. I won't give it away here but only to say that it's an unholy alliance of the suits and the spooks with some alltootransparent targeting of a public figure.
| 1,366 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 3 |
Too clever and ham-fisted - 'Syriana' wants to be 'Traffic'
|
Syriana wants to be [[ASIN:B000067IZ3 Traffic]] in its worldly, interweaving meditation on global complexity with warnings on the law of unintended consequences. [[ASIN:B000MCH5P4 Babel]] and [[ASIN:B000A3XY5A Crash (Widescreen Edition)]] fall into the same genre, though the latter on more of a local scale.<br /><br />The 'Traffic' connection isn't a surprise since Syriana's director/co-writer Stephen Gaghan won an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay. In the making of featurette, all the lead actors speak of their strong desire to work with him. I saw the original Channel 4 (UK) mini-series [[ASIN:B001Y44DHW Traffik]] and - while certainly not a paint-by-numbers job - you can draw straight lines between the plot and characters of the two works. On the basis of that, Gaghan has this pull. I don't really get that.<br /><br />'Syriana' is hard to follow. Not that I can't follow or appreciate complicated narratives (Jacques Audiard's masterpiece [[ASIN:B002BWP3UC A Prophet]] is great in that regard), but 'Syriana' seems too clever by half at times and - at other times - ham-fisted: corporate interests, bad; CIA, evil-doers in their own right. The end of the movie strikes me as implausible even in an era of extraordinary rendition and water-boarding. I won't give it away here but only to say that it's an unholy alliance of the suits and the spooks with some all-too-transparent targeting of a public figure.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFJILE67IV7DBENLHAYG5MWVU4RQ
| 1,287,668,929,000 | 1 |
Syriana wants to be ASINB000067IZ3 Traffic in its worldly, interweaving meditation on global complexity with warnings on the law of unintended consequences. ASINB000MCH5P4 Babel and ASINB000A3XY5A Crash Widescreen Edition fall into the same genre, though the latter on more of a local scale.br br The 'Traffic' connection isn't a surprise since Syriana's directorcowriter Stephen Gaghan won an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay. In the making of featurette, all the lead actors speak of their strong desire to work with him. I saw the original Channel 4 UK miniseries ASINB001Y44DHW Traffik and while certainly not a paintbynumbers job you can draw straight lines between the plot and characters of the two works. On the basis of that, Gaghan has this pull. I don't really get that.br br 'Syriana' is hard to follow. Not that I can't follow or appreciate complicated narratives Jacques Audiard's masterpiece ASINB002BWP3UC A Prophet is great in that regard, but 'Syriana' seems too clever by half at times and at other times hamfisted corporate interests, bad CIA, evildoers in their own right. The end of the movie strikes me as implausible even in an era of extraordinary rendition and waterboarding. I won't give it away here but only to say that it's an unholy alliance of the suits and the spooks with some alltootransparent targeting of a public figure.
| 1,366 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
"Syriana"--sophistry in art imitating plausibility.
|
--SPOILER ALERT--<br /><br />"Syriana" is just one fictional epic journey among thousands that your govt and oil industry have taken for you in order to comply with your demands for gasoline and fuel oil. Its a journey of deliciously good greed, globally winning corruption, absolutely minimized collateral damage, and the wonderful people at the middle-top of the Great American Empire who already have a place in Neo-Con Heaven.<br /><br />The American people have dictated this path for their govt and oil industry with their demands for gasoline and heating oil. We-the-fascist-corporatism are just the innocent little church mouse in this terrible situation. We've tried, cried, and yelped for help from the people, but there's no help coming. So we do the best we can with what little we have.<br /><br />Here's "Syriana", one magnificient story detailing (DETAILING) what we have to do to get what the people demand. See for yourself how we manage our resources with an astronomical amount of honor, an absolute minimum of human anguish, and only a tiny amount of unfortunate wholesale slaughter. Of course we can't name names or places, or identify anything anywhere, but we give you all the details worth reporting. And, of course, we have to scoot the story around a lot so that our enemies can't figure out what we're doing to them or what we're doing to defend ourselves, but you'll fit it all together.<br /><br />I wouldn't have had that take on "Syriana" without watching the DVD's special features. Going through those special features is a jaw-dropper. The players and filmmakers really do want to sell that drivel.<br /><br />They're trying to persuade us that the fascist-corporatism of Big Oil and U.S. govt are the good guys. They want us fit all the fragments of "Syriana" together so that corporatism comes out looking good, and so that it must not come out looking any way but good.<br /><br />BUT NO, IT CAN'T BE DONE. "Syriana" is somebody's cutsey idea of playing CYA for Big Oil and its govt puppets. "Syriana" is so deep into sophistic fictions that, once real-world truths are laid alongside the film's sophistic fictional lies, there's nothing that fits together in there except dishonor, corporate greed, human anguish, political corruption, and needless death.<br /><br />And that's after you try to make it work as a story of how the good, honorable people tried, and tried, and tried -- but, oops, missed it by just that much, when the CIA-launched missle nails the good-guy CIA dude (George Clooney's Bob Barnes) and the good-guy Arab prince (Alexander Siddig's excellently-played Prince Nasir Al-Subaai) in the same boom.<br /><br />Good-honorable doesn't work -- nuuhh uuuhh. What works is the same depraved persuasion fronted by sophistry that Big Oil has been hitting us with since John D. Rockefeller.<br /><br />Classical rhetoric's persuasion is based on truth and ethical intent. Human community works best when persuaded with truth.<br /><br />Classical sophistry's persuation is based on plausible falsehoods and unethical intent. There are lies in any sophistry--no matter how plausible--intended to make the bad guys look good.<br /><br />From the fall of the kings in ancient Greece and Rome, about 500 BCE, sophists made fortunes for themselves and their clients--both in the lawcourts and in teaching their students how to bend lies into softness and nearly into truth. Machiavelli picked it up in the 1500s. Then, in 1776, the American monied elites, Jefferson's ever-arrogant "natural aristocracy", found themselves standing squarely in the time warp that made sophists right for them, too.<br /><br />It took me several viewings to get all the way around "Syriana". There's so much sophistry--and the sophistry is so well executed and so chopped up with fractured storytelling and chop-away editing--that, initially, the sophistries kept pointing me off.<br /><br />I'm just not accustomed to that level of sophistication in sophistry hurling. Haven't seen its like since my last reading of Alexander Hamilton's writings in the "Federalist Papers". Usually sophistry comes at me in sophmoric mental vomit chunks, dropping away from the main spew, allowing sidestepping and chunk labeling on the fly. Most sophists today are unskilled sophomores.<br /><br />Remember now, you can't find the word, 'sophistry', correctly defined in any dictionary published after about 1776. That's when it became important to the U.S. monied elites to neuter and de-horn classical sophistry into something more modern and less threatening to their bamboozling of ordinary Americans.<br /><br />They didn't need ordinary citizens springboarding from Aristotle and Cicero's anti-sophistry writings to Machiavelli's 1532 preachments on deception in "The Prince", and on into their own deceptions.<br /><br />The wonderful "Gentlemen" judges who denied the rights of the rabble to instruct their legislatures--from 1776 to 1786--deserved protection. It was our first national debate, and it was bitter. It was so acromonious that most of the winners' text books today don't even mention it. To find its descriptions, you have to get into really esoteric history books, such as Gordon S. Wood's 1969, "The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787", published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, Virginia. (If you don't read another book in your life, read that one. Bring a jaded eye. Wood sides with the bad guys.)<br /><br />In 1750s-1780s America, instructing legislatures was an imperfectly understood fragment of direct democracy from the Roman Republic. However, instructing legislatures was Republican theory tenaciously grasped by ordinary Americans. The "Gentlemen", in 1776, saw that it could ruin pie-in-the-sky fortunes for coming generations of future "Gentlemen", who had the natural right to take whatever wealth and power they could. (Still think they do.) 'Instructing legislatures' needed to be stamped out right now. Against the dogged refusals of the rabble to knuckle under to the ever-arrogant Gentlemen, there was nothing left to do but to hit them with vacuous arguments, deluxe sophistry, and tyrannical power.<br /><br />Then, just in the nick of 1786 time, up jumped Alexander Hamilton, the Great Falsehood--self-serving suck-up hero to generals and the superrich, Grand Master of Black-Arts Sophistry. He would deliver the Gentlemen and untold generations of their progeny into control of their fates. He would deliver mastery over the commoner-rabble and all the industries that the Gentlemen could ever invent -- gold in the Plains Indians' sacred Black Hills and the black gold of Big Oil, for two examples.<br /><br />The line from Hamilton's 1786 sophistry to the "Syriana" sophistry fending for Big Oil and the Great American Empire is unbroken and linear.<br /><br />Hamilton scurried around to all the right people, autumn 1786, setting up the "Federal Convention" (read, Constitutional Convention) for summer 1787. The rabble's right to instruct their legislatures went soundlessly moot. The Constitutional Convention would settle everything.<br /><br />Then, from May to September 1787, Hamilton honcho'd the "Federalist" faction at the Constitutional Convention. He dotted the eyes and crossed the tees that ensured slavery made it over the abyss, that the rabble could never control the Gentlemen's govt (e.g., judges made independent so that the superrich could easily buy them), and that this new Constitution would illegally and unconstitutionally side-step the standing Constitution's deadly requirements for any amendment of its fundamental law.<br /><br />Convention delegates who were offended by gross denial of truth were driven off (setting a tradition that still holds today --bad guys stay to drive good guys away). Commoner rabble giving instructions to the Gentlemen's National Congress? Not ever, sir.<br /><br />I'm winging it here, of course. Lots of ground to cover between "Syriana", its very sophisticated sophistry, and our national beginnings, with their very sophisticated sophistry. The ground is already stuck together for all time. We've just got to wing over it so that you can see the unbroken connection.<br /><br />Sophistry is how the monied elites have always led ordinary Americans around by the nose, misleading us into thinking that we're free--so that we can be more thoroughly enslaved to them and their progeny. Black Arts sophistry is lying with the appearance of telling the truth.<br /><br />Ordinary Americans of the Revolutionary Era trusted the educated "Gentlemen"--their leaders in the War--to give them the govt promised in the Declararion Of Independence (DOI)--their very own sentiments put down on paper by Thomas Jefferson.<br /><br />It was about self-evident truths and inalienable rights. Govts deriving just powers from the governed, and with their direct consent. Govts not complying altered or abolished by order of the people as a matter of right and duty. New govts having restrictions and limits dictated by order of the people and based on nothing more than the people's pleasure.<br /><br />The DOI was the central propaganda of the War, read at most military and civilian gatherings, nailed to buildings far and wide. Think major recruiting poster. You join us, you get to kill tyrannical Englishmen, and you get to have this perfect govt. One of my 5-g grandfathers, Jonas Butterfield, Dunstable, Mass, suckered for the punch. Like all patriots, he and his family endured deep war-time hardships for the sake of the DOI's ideal govt.<br /><br />The comparison between the first paragraphs of the DOI and the govt delivered in the 1787 Constitution engineered by Hamilton and the good ol' boys is Proof One. They did us wrong.<br /><br />What Hamilton and his Federalist deceivers gave ordinary Americans in the 1787 Constitution was the contradiction of the govt promised in the DOI. It was a deep betrayal of the war-torn patriots and their progeny. It was a govt intended to preserve the superrich and their parasites forever--tyranny, simply put.<br /><br />It was dispicable behavior by the "Gentlemen" heaped onto ordinary Americans, slavery and all. Hamilton showed them the way.<br /><br />We also have the "Federalist Papers". They're Proof Two.<br /><br />They're Hamilton's vacuous arguments, incredible sophistic lies, and clear mis-uses of obscure Aristotlean logic forms--all designed to blind ordinary Americans while leading them into the trap govt that would ensure superrich domination forever.<br /><br />Roll on, St.Burr.<br /><br />Yes, I'm the one who sainted Aaron Burr in 1969 for his fatal shooting of Hamilton, the Great Falsehood, in 1804. I'm not alone in my sentiments. John Adams, 2nd U.S. President, also read Hamilton in the "Federalist Papers" and knew his character better than me. In 1815, Adams wrote that Hamilton was "the most restless, impatient, artful, indefatigable, and unprincipled intriguer in the United States, if not in the world". (He was commenting on Gen Washington's taking of Hamilton as his 2nd in command, while rejecting St.Burr's application to be a lowly Brigadier General, War of 1812, because St.Burr was an intriguer.)<br /><br />St.Burr, one vote from being the 3rd U.S. President and still the sitting 3rd U.S. Vice-President when he gunned down Hamilton, was a man whose few, stand-tall principles conflicted with most others of his "Gentlemen" class. He believed women were the equal of men--taught his daughter several languages and how to shoot from horseback. He believed that slavery should be abolished, bringing a bill to that effect when he was elected to the New York State Assembly, 1784--some 79 years before Lincoln did the deed. He was deeply tied to truth. Talked the talk AND walked the walk. He believed that dispicable behavior from a "Gentleman" was too dishonorable to be allowed.<br /><br />It was that last bit that pulled Hamilton by his forked, dispicable tongue into the long grind to the famous duel with St.Burr, who put a 54-caliber ball through Hamilton's liver. This, despite Hamilton's strategem of supplying pistols--his right as the one challenged--that had concealed single-set triggers.<br /><br />We have one of the original pistols, and replications have been produced. They are Gentlemen's pistols, but not proper dueling pistols. They look normal enough. There's just one trigger in each. No suspicious buttons, levers, or latches, as appear on some set-trigger pistols of the period. True to Hamilton's devious character, however, there's a trick: push trigger forward to set. Counter-intuitive, as are the truths that lay hidden in the tightest of sophistries. Pistol triggers are for pulling to you, not for pushing away.<br /><br />Hamilton was too street-dumb to think that wiley, war-wise St.Burr might know about these widely-used pistols owned by Hamilton's brother-in-law. Certainly, in Hamilton's conniving mind, St.Burr would not know to push the trigger forward one click to set it for a half-pound-pull, avoiding the 10-12-pound pull of using the trigger un-set. Hair trigger means more accuracy than heavy trigger. Ha-ha, Hamilton had his hated nemesis now, on that bright Wednesday New Jersey morning, 11 July, Weehawken dueling ledge, near the river.<br /><br />St.Burr is silent on the issue. We'll never know for sure.<br /><br />We do know that Hamilton fired first, very quickly, and that his ball went high and wide, smashing branches above and behind St.Burr. Did he mis-trigger? Serves him right, if he did. His shot was the go for St.Burr, who aimed to kill, and killed--to paraphrase Gore Vidal's admirable 1976 novel, "Burr".<br /><br />St.Burr's stand-tall principles put him far outside the mainstream and made him an easy target. So, of course, Hamilton's boosters--the superrich and their parasites--smeared St.Burr, the notorious assassin, with everything they could reach for a couple of decades. Under that heavy smear is pretty much where St.Burr's reputation lays today. (But see especially, Nancy Isenberg, "Fallen Founder: The Life Of Aaron Burr", 560 pages, 2007. It's been called "a necessary and overdue corrective" by one reviewer--not myself.)<br /><br />Okay, first we'll bury the whole notion of 'sophistry'. We'll publish definitions of it in all the dictionaries. The new definitions will cut it down to a quaint harmlessness. Ordinary citizens should never know which way is up.<br /><br />If the U.S. monied elite are good at anything, it's buying whatever they want--politicians, judges, professors, publishers, along with "ships, and shoes, and sealing wax"--what the walruses preach to gullible oysters.<br /><br />Of course, the monied elites can't hide classical sophistry from students of philosophy and logic. There's just too much information in too many literatures bearing on the 1st and 2nd Sophistics. Those are sophistry activity periods roughly lumped around the lives and anti-sophistry writings of Aristotle and Cicero, respectively. Both men were adamant that truth is a necessary attribute of human community. Both expressed the human need for truth in many ways. Both have many adherents who speak and write in many languages. (Yes, I know. Cicero is too slippery to put up at Aristotle's level. But it was a 2nd Century CE sophist who named Cicero to the 2nd Sophistic, so truth deals the hand.)<br /><br />Additionally, there's modern-day cook-book logic. It's course-work for college freshman, which, all by itself, shreds and blows up sophistry by the numbers. (Do they still teach that course of truth tables, Aristotlean syllogisms, set theory, and Venn diagrams? Measures of truth. Freed my post-military, straight-jacketed brain and gave me wings.)<br /><br />Forget dictionaries for 'sophistry'. Go straight for George Kennedy's translation of "Aristotle: A Theory of Civic Discourse", Oxford Univ Press, 1991. Kennedy's translation is unique in the world of philosophy. It's an exercise in English language clarity that requires no previous study by the reader into the rigors of philosophy or the Greek language. Kennedy is a teacher.<br /><br />It's a 312-page text, but Kennedy needs only about 97 pages to teach the reader (Aristotle's) classical persuasion's "logos" (evidence in fact or in truthful argument), "ethos" (expressions of the laudable character of the principal person or persons), and "pathos" (creation of emotion in the observer that is favorable to the attempted persuasion and to the principal person or persons).<br /><br />Those elements of persuasion are the same for both classical rhetoric and classical sophistry. However, as advertised, classical rhetoric's persuasion is based on truth and ethical intent. Classical sophistry's persuation is based on plausible falsehoods and unethical intent.<br /><br />As Aristotle says, sophistry is a matter of the deliberate choice of specious arguments. No wiggle room. (See Kennedy, p. 36, in section 14.)<br /><br />Don't worry about how to handle sophistry. There's a falsehood in there, no matter how plausible. Pull out the lie and the whole thing unravels. Find the lie.<br /><br />The mis-steps to our sophistry-laden step-off into American govt are especially germane to "Syriana" because the motivation was and is the grabbing of our money and the power that money provides. We're sitting on 224 years of connected, anti-American sophistry.<br /><br />Grabbing money and power was Hamilton's job in the Constitutional Convention and in the "Federalist Papers". Fair readings of the extant delegates' journals at the Convention--kept behind closed doors--and of the "Federalist Papers", show that Hamilton was up to his eyeballs in money- and power-grabbing sophistries. Slavery? No problem. It's profitable for the "Gentlemen" Citizen rights? What citizen rights? Oh, you won't agree to the Constitution without them? Magna Carta? 500 years ago? How brazen of you, sir. How rude and insulting, sir. We'll fight you every inch of the way--deviously and behind your backs, of course, as is our way. (The Bill of Rights could have been much more than what it is.)<br /><br />Grabbing money and power is also the "Syriana" screenplay's job. It's there to persuade us that all the good greed and winning corruption performed by the fascist-corporatism of Big Oil and U.S. govt is necessary to get us what WE DEMAND in gasoline and fuel oil. It's all OUR FAULT. It's there to put us off just one more month, one more year, one more decade. Let the good times roll the money on in.<br /><br />Hocus-pocus. You will not remember the politician-spewed promises of alternative energy sources made since Nixon's 1971 howler. You will not remember Clinton's snuffing, about 1996, of the Office of Fuels Development (under the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). It was the agency that discovered that we could get 100-percent of our annual over-the-road fuel needs from algae-biodiesel grown in an American desert and burned in standard diesel engines. No more Gulf-region dependency.<br /><br />Clinton used fascist-corporatism like a club to preserve Big Oil's way of life in the global oil fields and in global terrorism. So far he's helped them to get about 16 more years of unquestioned, unprosecuted time and money.<br /><br />Fortunately for all of us, smart people at the Univ of New Hampshire remembered the algae-biodiesel advancements of that little, seemingly insignificant agency.<br /><br />Hocus-pocus. You will only remember the confused and chop-away-editing stew of "Syriana" sophistry--where greed is good, corruption is why we win, and terrorists get to murder innocents across the world with weapons we supply because our oil interests in the Gulf region demand that we sell terrorists such weapons. (How else would fascist-corporatism get US military grunts to fight and die for Big Oil profits? I mean, now that Weapons of Mass Destruction are no longer on the table. Remember WMDs? No, I didn't think so.)<br /><br />The blatant fascist-corporatism sophistry of "Syriana" is a dispicable insult to my intelligence. And that's after I've acknowledged that "Syriana" is just a fictional story, nothing more. I can only hope that many others have similar sensibilities and reactions.<br /><br />You should sit through a few showings of "Syriana" to get a finger-tip feeling of what sustained sophistry looks like. More importantly, it can show you the difficulty of finding the sophistic lies at first glance. Against sophisticated sophistry, you have to look all the way around the front and the back, and then bring in outside counter-examples.<br /><br />Stay real. Question everything. Drive it all through shaped charges of logic and reason with critical thinking. Pull it all through the highest levels of intellectual honesty, where belief systems are not allowed. Remember Bertrand Bussell: "People would rather die than think--most do."<br /><br />Other than Tim Blake Nelson's Danny Dalton and his misrepresentation of Milton Friedman's Nobel Prize--in his "corruption is why we win" speech--there's nothing in "Syriana" to really nail down as a falsehood. It's all a fiction to start with. The exercise in the difficulty of nailing down sophistic lies on-the-face-of-it makes watching "Syriana" a worthy exercise. You have to go outside "Syriana" to demonstrate the sophistic lies presented inside "Syriana". You have to do the same with the "Federalist Papers" in many of its sophistries.<br /><br />Of course, turning your sophistry analysis to the "Federalist Papers" might require that you go up a few skill-sets--given 18th Century English-language usages, intense political history, and Hamilton's skillful use of the more obscure elements in Aristotlean logic. Still, from the springboards of the Kennedy text and cook-book logic, it's do-able.<br /><br />American society and its human communities need to grasp the whole run of sophistry in our national history. It's knowledge that can prevent on-going nose-leading and pick-pocketing. And, in the end, it's the showing off of that on-going element for which "Syriana" should be prized.<br /><br />Hey, us and them are pretty much the same since 1787. More's the pity.<br /><br />--spib, 07 Jan 2012.
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AHKYD3HQMKKNL2E6CEB54BSKCTMA
| 1,325,979,396,000 | 3 |
SPOILER ALERTbr br Syriana is just one fictional epic journey among thousands that your govt and oil industry have taken for you in order to comply with your demands for gasoline and fuel oil. Its a journey of deliciously good greed, globally winning corruption, absolutely minimized collateral damage, and the wonderful people at the middletop of the Great American Empire who already have a place in NeoCon Heaven.br br The American people have dictated this path for their govt and oil industry with their demands for gasoline and heating oil. Wethefascistcorporatism are just the innocent little church mouse in this terrible situation. We've tried, cried, and yelped for help from the people, but there's no help coming. So we do the best we can with what little we have.br br Here's Syriana, one magnificient story detailing DETAILING what we have to do to get what the people demand. See for yourself how we manage our resources with an astronomical amount of honor, an absolute minimum of human anguish, and only a tiny amount of unfortunate wholesale slaughter. Of course we can't name names or places, or identify anything anywhere, but we give you all the details worth reporting. And, of course, we have to scoot the story around a lot so that our enemies can't figure out what we're doing to them or what we're doing to defend ourselves, but you'll fit it all together.br br I wouldn't have had that take on Syriana without watching the DVD's special features. Going through those special features is a jawdropper. The players and filmmakers really do want to sell that drivel.br br They're trying to persuade us that the fascistcorporatism of Big Oil and U.S. govt are the good guys. They want us fit all the fragments of Syriana together so that corporatism comes out looking good, and so that it must not come out looking any way but good.br br BUT NO, IT CAN'T BE DONE. Syriana is somebody's cutsey idea of playing CYA for Big Oil and its govt puppets. Syriana is so deep into sophistic fictions that, once realworld truths are laid alongside the film's sophistic fictional lies, there's nothing that fits together in there except dishonor, corporate greed, human anguish, political corruption, and needless death.br br And that's after you try to make it work as a story of how the good, honorable people tried, and tried, and tried but, oops, missed it by just that much, when the CIAlaunched missle nails the goodguy CIA dude George Clooney's Bob Barnes and the goodguy Arab prince Alexander Siddig's excellentlyplayed Prince Nasir AlSubaai in the same boom.br br Goodhonorable doesn't work nuuhh uuuhh. What works is the same depraved persuasion fronted by sophistry that Big Oil has been hitting us with since John D. Rockefeller.br br Classical rhetoric's persuasion is based on truth and ethical intent. Human community works best when persuaded with truth.br br Classical sophistry's persuation is based on plausible falsehoods and unethical intent. There are lies in any sophistryno matter how plausibleintended to make the bad guys look good.br br From the fall of the kings in ancient Greece and Rome, about 500 BCE, sophists made fortunes for themselves and their clientsboth in the lawcourts and in teaching their students how to bend lies into softness and nearly into truth. Machiavelli picked it up in the 1500s. Then, in 1776, the American monied elites, Jefferson's everarrogant natural aristocracy, found themselves standing squarely in the time warp that made sophists right for them, too.br br It took me several viewings to get all the way around Syriana. There's so much sophistryand the sophistry is so well executed and so chopped up with fractured storytelling and chopaway editingthat, initially, the sophistries kept pointing me off.br br I'm just not accustomed to that level of sophistication in sophistry hurling. Haven't seen its like since my last reading of Alexander Hamilton's writings in the Federalist Papers. Usually sophistry comes at me in sophmoric mental vomit chunks, dropping away from the main spew, allowing sidestepping and chunk labeling on the fly. Most sophists today are unskilled sophomores.br br Remember now, you can't find the word, 'sophistry', correctly defined in any dictionary published after about 1776. That's when it became important to the U.S. monied elites to neuter and dehorn classical sophistry into something more modern and less threatening to their bamboozling of ordinary Americans.br br They didn't need ordinary citizens springboarding from Aristotle and Cicero's antisophistry writings to Machiavelli's 1532 preachments on deception in The Prince, and on into their own deceptions.br br The wonderful Gentlemen judges who denied the rights of the rabble to instruct their legislaturesfrom 1776 to 1786deserved protection. It was our first national debate, and it was bitter. It was so acromonious that most of the winners' text books today don't even mention it. To find its descriptions, you have to get into really esoteric history books, such as Gordon S. Wood's 1969, The Creation of the American Republic, 17761787, published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, Virginia. If you don't read another book in your life, read that one. Bring a jaded eye. Wood sides with the bad guys.br br In 1750s1780s America, instructing legislatures was an imperfectly understood fragment of direct democracy from the Roman Republic. However, instructing legislatures was Republican theory tenaciously grasped by ordinary Americans. The Gentlemen, in 1776, saw that it could ruin pieinthesky fortunes for coming generations of future Gentlemen, who had the natural right to take whatever wealth and power they could. Still think they do. 'Instructing legislatures' needed to be stamped out right now. Against the dogged refusals of the rabble to knuckle under to the everarrogant Gentlemen, there was nothing left to do but to hit them with vacuous arguments, deluxe sophistry, and tyrannical power.br br Then, just in the nick of 1786 time, up jumped Alexander Hamilton, the Great Falsehoodselfserving suckup hero to generals and the superrich, Grand Master of BlackArts Sophistry. He would deliver the Gentlemen and untold generations of their progeny into control of their fates. He would deliver mastery over the commonerrabble and all the industries that the Gentlemen could ever invent gold in the Plains Indians' sacred Black Hills and the black gold of Big Oil, for two examples.br br The line from Hamilton's 1786 sophistry to the Syriana sophistry fending for Big Oil and the Great American Empire is unbroken and linear.br br Hamilton scurried around to all the right people, autumn 1786, setting up the Federal Convention read, Constitutional Convention for summer 1787. The rabble's right to instruct their legislatures went soundlessly moot. The Constitutional Convention would settle everything.br br Then, from May to September 1787, Hamilton honcho'd the Federalist faction at the Constitutional Convention. He dotted the eyes and crossed the tees that ensured slavery made it over the abyss, that the rabble could never control the Gentlemen's govt e.g., judges made independent so that the superrich could easily buy them, and that this new Constitution would illegally and unconstitutionally sidestep the standing Constitution's deadly requirements for any amendment of its fundamental law.br br Convention delegates who were offended by gross denial of truth were driven off setting a tradition that still holds today bad guys stay to drive good guys away. Commoner rabble giving instructions to the Gentlemen's National Congress? Not ever, sir.br br I'm winging it here, of course. Lots of ground to cover between Syriana, its very sophisticated sophistry, and our national beginnings, with their very sophisticated sophistry. The ground is already stuck together for all time. We've just got to wing over it so that you can see the unbroken connection.br br Sophistry is how the monied elites have always led ordinary Americans around by the nose, misleading us into thinking that we're freeso that we can be more thoroughly enslaved to them and their progeny. Black Arts sophistry is lying with the appearance of telling the truth.br br Ordinary Americans of the Revolutionary Era trusted the educated Gentlementheir leaders in the Warto give them the govt promised in the Declararion Of Independence DOItheir very own sentiments put down on paper by Thomas Jefferson.br br It was about selfevident truths and inalienable rights. Govts deriving just powers from the governed, and with their direct consent. Govts not complying altered or abolished by order of the people as a matter of right and duty. New govts having restrictions and limits dictated by order of the people and based on nothing more than the people's pleasure.br br The DOI was the central propaganda of the War, read at most military and civilian gatherings, nailed to buildings far and wide. Think major recruiting poster. You join us, you get to kill tyrannical Englishmen, and you get to have this perfect govt. One of my 5g grandfathers, Jonas Butterfield, Dunstable, Mass, suckered for the punch. Like all patriots, he and his family endured deep wartime hardships for the sake of the DOI's ideal govt.br br The comparison between the first paragraphs of the DOI and the govt delivered in the 1787 Constitution engineered by Hamilton and the good ol' boys is Proof One. They did us wrong.br br What Hamilton and his Federalist deceivers gave ordinary Americans in the 1787 Constitution was the contradiction of the govt promised in the DOI. It was a deep betrayal of the wartorn patriots and their progeny. It was a govt intended to preserve the superrich and their parasites forevertyranny, simply put.br br It was dispicable behavior by the Gentlemen heaped onto ordinary Americans, slavery and all. Hamilton showed them the way.br br We also have the Federalist Papers. They're Proof Two.br br They're Hamilton's vacuous arguments, incredible sophistic lies, and clear misuses of obscure Aristotlean logic formsall designed to blind ordinary Americans while leading them into the trap govt that would ensure superrich domination forever.br br Roll on, St.Burr.br br Yes, I'm the one who sainted Aaron Burr in 1969 for his fatal shooting of Hamilton, the Great Falsehood, in 1804. I'm not alone in my sentiments. John Adams, 2nd U.S. President, also read Hamilton in the Federalist Papers and knew his character better than me. In 1815, Adams wrote that Hamilton was the most restless, impatient, artful, indefatigable, and unprincipled intriguer in the United States, if not in the world. He was commenting on Gen Washington's taking of Hamilton as his 2nd in command, while rejecting St.Burr's application to be a lowly Brigadier General, War of 1812, because St.Burr was an intriguer.br br St.Burr, one vote from being the 3rd U.S. President and still the sitting 3rd U.S. VicePresident when he gunned down Hamilton, was a man whose few, standtall principles conflicted with most others of his Gentlemen class. He believed women were the equal of mentaught his daughter several languages and how to shoot from horseback. He believed that slavery should be abolished, bringing a bill to that effect when he was elected to the New York State Assembly, 1784some 79 years before Lincoln did the deed. He was deeply tied to truth. Talked the talk AND walked the walk. He believed that dispicable behavior from a Gentleman was too dishonorable to be allowed.br br It was that last bit that pulled Hamilton by his forked, dispicable tongue into the long grind to the famous duel with St.Burr, who put a 54caliber ball through Hamilton's liver. This, despite Hamilton's strategem of supplying pistolshis right as the one challengedthat had concealed singleset triggers.br br We have one of the original pistols, and replications have been produced. They are Gentlemen's pistols, but not proper dueling pistols. They look normal enough. There's just one trigger in each. No suspicious buttons, levers, or latches, as appear on some settrigger pistols of the period. True to Hamilton's devious character, however, there's a trick push trigger forward to set. Counterintuitive, as are the truths that lay hidden in the tightest of sophistries. Pistol triggers are for pulling to you, not for pushing away.br br Hamilton was too streetdumb to think that wiley, warwise St.Burr might know about these widelyused pistols owned by Hamilton's brotherinlaw. Certainly, in Hamilton's conniving mind, St.Burr would not know to push the trigger forward one click to set it for a halfpoundpull, avoiding the 1012pound pull of using the trigger unset. Hair trigger means more accuracy than heavy trigger. Haha, Hamilton had his hated nemesis now, on that bright Wednesday New Jersey morning, 11 July, Weehawken dueling ledge, near the river.br br St.Burr is silent on the issue. We'll never know for sure.br br We do know that Hamilton fired first, very quickly, and that his ball went high and wide, smashing branches above and behind St.Burr. Did he mistrigger? Serves him right, if he did. His shot was the go for St.Burr, who aimed to kill, and killedto paraphrase Gore Vidal's admirable 1976 novel, Burr.br br St.Burr's standtall principles put him far outside the mainstream and made him an easy target. So, of course, Hamilton's boostersthe superrich and their parasitessmeared St.Burr, the notorious assassin, with everything they could reach for a couple of decades. Under that heavy smear is pretty much where St.Burr's reputation lays today. But see especially, Nancy Isenberg, Fallen Founder The Life Of Aaron Burr, 560 pages, 2007. It's been called a necessary and overdue corrective by one reviewernot myself.br br Okay, first we'll bury the whole notion of 'sophistry'. We'll publish definitions of it in all the dictionaries. The new definitions will cut it down to a quaint harmlessness. Ordinary citizens should never know which way is up.br br If the U.S. monied elite are good at anything, it's buying whatever they wantpoliticians, judges, professors, publishers, along with ships, and shoes, and sealing waxwhat the walruses preach to gullible oysters.br br Of course, the monied elites can't hide classical sophistry from students of philosophy and logic. There's just too much information in too many literatures bearing on the 1st and 2nd Sophistics. Those are sophistry activity periods roughly lumped around the lives and antisophistry writings of Aristotle and Cicero, respectively. Both men were adamant that truth is a necessary attribute of human community. Both expressed the human need for truth in many ways. Both have many adherents who speak and write in many languages. Yes, I know. Cicero is too slippery to put up at Aristotle's level. But it was a 2nd Century CE sophist who named Cicero to the 2nd Sophistic, so truth deals the hand.br br Additionally, there's modernday cookbook logic. It's coursework for college freshman, which, all by itself, shreds and blows up sophistry by the numbers. Do they still teach that course of truth tables, Aristotlean syllogisms, set theory, and Venn diagrams? Measures of truth. Freed my postmilitary, straightjacketed brain and gave me wings.br br Forget dictionaries for 'sophistry'. Go straight for George Kennedy's translation of Aristotle A Theory of Civic Discourse, Oxford Univ Press, 1991. Kennedy's translation is unique in the world of philosophy. It's an exercise in English language clarity that requires no previous study by the reader into the rigors of philosophy or the Greek language. Kennedy is a teacher.br br It's a 312page text, but Kennedy needs only about 97 pages to teach the reader Aristotle's classical persuasion's logos evidence in fact or in truthful argument, ethos expressions of the laudable character of the principal person or persons, and pathos creation of emotion in the observer that is favorable to the attempted persuasion and to the principal person or persons.br br Those elements of persuasion are the same for both classical rhetoric and classical sophistry. However, as advertised, classical rhetoric's persuasion is based on truth and ethical intent. Classical sophistry's persuation is based on plausible falsehoods and unethical intent.br br As Aristotle says, sophistry is a matter of the deliberate choice of specious arguments. No wiggle room. See Kennedy, p. 36, in section 14.br br Don't worry about how to handle sophistry. There's a falsehood in there, no matter how plausible. Pull out the lie and the whole thing unravels. Find the lie.br br The missteps to our sophistryladen stepoff into American govt are especially germane to Syriana because the motivation was and is the grabbing of our money and the power that money provides. We're sitting on 224 years of connected, antiAmerican sophistry.br br Grabbing money and power was Hamilton's job in the Constitutional Convention and in the Federalist Papers. Fair readings of the extant delegates' journals at the Conventionkept behind closed doorsand of the Federalist Papers, show that Hamilton was up to his eyeballs in money and powergrabbing sophistries. Slavery? No problem. It's profitable for the Gentlemen Citizen rights? What citizen rights? Oh, you won't agree to the Constitution without them? Magna Carta? 500 years ago? How brazen of you, sir. How rude and insulting, sir. We'll fight you every inch of the waydeviously and behind your backs, of course, as is our way. The Bill of Rights could have been much more than what it is.br br Grabbing money and power is also the Syriana screenplay's job. It's there to persuade us that all the good greed and winning corruption performed by the fascistcorporatism of Big Oil and U.S. govt is necessary to get us what WE DEMAND in gasoline and fuel oil. It's all OUR FAULT. It's there to put us off just one more month, one more year, one more decade. Let the good times roll the money on in.br br Hocuspocus. You will not remember the politicianspewed promises of alternative energy sources made since Nixon's 1971 howler. You will not remember Clinton's snuffing, about 1996, of the Office of Fuels Development under the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It was the agency that discovered that we could get 100percent of our annual overtheroad fuel needs from algaebiodiesel grown in an American desert and burned in standard diesel engines. No more Gulfregion dependency.br br Clinton used fascistcorporatism like a club to preserve Big Oil's way of life in the global oil fields and in global terrorism. So far he's helped them to get about 16 more years of unquestioned, unprosecuted time and money.br br Fortunately for all of us, smart people at the Univ of New Hampshire remembered the algaebiodiesel advancements of that little, seemingly insignificant agency.br br Hocuspocus. You will only remember the confused and chopawayediting stew of Syriana sophistrywhere greed is good, corruption is why we win, and terrorists get to murder innocents across the world with weapons we supply because our oil interests in the Gulf region demand that we sell terrorists such weapons. How else would fascistcorporatism get US military grunts to fight and die for Big Oil profits? I mean, now that Weapons of Mass Destruction are no longer on the table. Remember WMDs? No, I didn't think so.br br The blatant fascistcorporatism sophistry of Syriana is a dispicable insult to my intelligence. And that's after I've acknowledged that Syriana is just a fictional story, nothing more. I can only hope that many others have similar sensibilities and reactions.br br You should sit through a few showings of Syriana to get a fingertip feeling of what sustained sophistry looks like. More importantly, it can show you the difficulty of finding the sophistic lies at first glance. Against sophisticated sophistry, you have to look all the way around the front and the back, and then bring in outside counterexamples.br br Stay real. Question everything. Drive it all through shaped charges of logic and reason with critical thinking. Pull it all through the highest levels of intellectual honesty, where belief systems are not allowed. Remember Bertrand Bussell People would rather die than thinkmost do.br br Other than Tim Blake Nelson's Danny Dalton and his misrepresentation of Milton Friedman's Nobel Prizein his corruption is why we win speechthere's nothing in Syriana to really nail down as a falsehood. It's all a fiction to start with. The exercise in the difficulty of nailing down sophistic lies onthefaceofit makes watching Syriana a worthy exercise. You have to go outside Syriana to demonstrate the sophistic lies presented inside Syriana. You have to do the same with the Federalist Papers in many of its sophistries.br br Of course, turning your sophistry analysis to the Federalist Papers might require that you go up a few skillsetsgiven 18th Century Englishlanguage usages, intense political history, and Hamilton's skillful use of the more obscure elements in Aristotlean logic. Still, from the springboards of the Kennedy text and cookbook logic, it's doable.br br American society and its human communities need to grasp the whole run of sophistry in our national history. It's knowledge that can prevent ongoing noseleading and pickpocketing. And, in the end, it's the showing off of that ongoing element for which Syriana should be prized.br br Hey, us and them are pretty much the same since 1787. More's the pity.br br spib, 07 Jan 2012.
| 21,603 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
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Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
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7.31
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B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
"Syriana"--sophistry in art imitating plausibility.
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--SPOILER ALERT--<br /><br />"Syriana" is just one fictional epic journey among thousands that your govt and oil industry have taken for you in order to comply with your demands for gasoline and fuel oil. Its a journey of deliciously good greed, globally winning corruption, absolutely minimized collateral damage, and the wonderful people at the middle-top of the Great American Empire who already have a place in Neo-Con Heaven.<br /><br />The American people have dictated this path for their govt and oil industry with their demands for gasoline and heating oil. We-the-fascist-corporatism are just the innocent little church mouse in this terrible situation. We've tried, cried, and yelped for help from the people, but there's no help coming. So we do the best we can with what little we have.<br /><br />Here's "Syriana", one magnificient story detailing (DETAILING) what we have to do to get what the people demand. See for yourself how we manage our resources with an astronomical amount of honor, an absolute minimum of human anguish, and only a tiny amount of unfortunate wholesale slaughter. Of course we can't name names or places, or identify anything anywhere, but we give you all the details worth reporting. And, of course, we have to scoot the story around a lot so that our enemies can't figure out what we're doing to them or what we're doing to defend ourselves, but you'll fit it all together.<br /><br />I wouldn't have had that take on "Syriana" without watching the DVD's special features. Going through those special features is a jaw-dropper. The players and filmmakers really do want to sell that drivel.<br /><br />They're trying to persuade us that the fascist-corporatism of Big Oil and U.S. govt are the good guys. They want us fit all the fragments of "Syriana" together so that corporatism comes out looking good, and so that it must not come out looking any way but good.<br /><br />BUT NO, IT CAN'T BE DONE. "Syriana" is somebody's cutsey idea of playing CYA for Big Oil and its govt puppets. "Syriana" is so deep into sophistic fictions that, once real-world truths are laid alongside the film's sophistic fictional lies, there's nothing that fits together in there except dishonor, corporate greed, human anguish, political corruption, and needless death.<br /><br />And that's after you try to make it work as a story of how the good, honorable people tried, and tried, and tried -- but, oops, missed it by just that much, when the CIA-launched missle nails the good-guy CIA dude (George Clooney's Bob Barnes) and the good-guy Arab prince (Alexander Siddig's excellently-played Prince Nasir Al-Subaai) in the same boom.<br /><br />Good-honorable doesn't work -- nuuhh uuuhh. What works is the same depraved persuasion fronted by sophistry that Big Oil has been hitting us with since John D. Rockefeller.<br /><br />Classical rhetoric's persuasion is based on truth and ethical intent. Human community works best when persuaded with truth.<br /><br />Classical sophistry's persuation is based on plausible falsehoods and unethical intent. There are lies in any sophistry--no matter how plausible--intended to make the bad guys look good.<br /><br />From the fall of the kings in ancient Greece and Rome, about 500 BCE, sophists made fortunes for themselves and their clients--both in the lawcourts and in teaching their students how to bend lies into softness and nearly into truth. Machiavelli picked it up in the 1500s. Then, in 1776, the American monied elites, Jefferson's ever-arrogant "natural aristocracy", found themselves standing squarely in the time warp that made sophists right for them, too.<br /><br />It took me several viewings to get all the way around "Syriana". There's so much sophistry--and the sophistry is so well executed and so chopped up with fractured storytelling and chop-away editing--that, initially, the sophistries kept pointing me off.<br /><br />I'm just not accustomed to that level of sophistication in sophistry hurling. Haven't seen its like since my last reading of Alexander Hamilton's writings in the "Federalist Papers". Usually sophistry comes at me in sophmoric mental vomit chunks, dropping away from the main spew, allowing sidestepping and chunk labeling on the fly. Most sophists today are unskilled sophomores.<br /><br />Remember now, you can't find the word, 'sophistry', correctly defined in any dictionary published after about 1776. That's when it became important to the U.S. monied elites to neuter and de-horn classical sophistry into something more modern and less threatening to their bamboozling of ordinary Americans.<br /><br />They didn't need ordinary citizens springboarding from Aristotle and Cicero's anti-sophistry writings to Machiavelli's 1532 preachments on deception in "The Prince", and on into their own deceptions.<br /><br />The wonderful "Gentlemen" judges who denied the rights of the rabble to instruct their legislatures--from 1776 to 1786--deserved protection. It was our first national debate, and it was bitter. It was so acromonious that most of the winners' text books today don't even mention it. To find its descriptions, you have to get into really esoteric history books, such as Gordon S. Wood's 1969, "The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787", published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, Virginia. (If you don't read another book in your life, read that one. Bring a jaded eye. Wood sides with the bad guys.)<br /><br />In 1750s-1780s America, instructing legislatures was an imperfectly understood fragment of direct democracy from the Roman Republic. However, instructing legislatures was Republican theory tenaciously grasped by ordinary Americans. The "Gentlemen", in 1776, saw that it could ruin pie-in-the-sky fortunes for coming generations of future "Gentlemen", who had the natural right to take whatever wealth and power they could. (Still think they do.) 'Instructing legislatures' needed to be stamped out right now. Against the dogged refusals of the rabble to knuckle under to the ever-arrogant Gentlemen, there was nothing left to do but to hit them with vacuous arguments, deluxe sophistry, and tyrannical power.<br /><br />Then, just in the nick of 1786 time, up jumped Alexander Hamilton, the Great Falsehood--self-serving suck-up hero to generals and the superrich, Grand Master of Black-Arts Sophistry. He would deliver the Gentlemen and untold generations of their progeny into control of their fates. He would deliver mastery over the commoner-rabble and all the industries that the Gentlemen could ever invent -- gold in the Plains Indians' sacred Black Hills and the black gold of Big Oil, for two examples.<br /><br />The line from Hamilton's 1786 sophistry to the "Syriana" sophistry fending for Big Oil and the Great American Empire is unbroken and linear.<br /><br />Hamilton scurried around to all the right people, autumn 1786, setting up the "Federal Convention" (read, Constitutional Convention) for summer 1787. The rabble's right to instruct their legislatures went soundlessly moot. The Constitutional Convention would settle everything.<br /><br />Then, from May to September 1787, Hamilton honcho'd the "Federalist" faction at the Constitutional Convention. He dotted the eyes and crossed the tees that ensured slavery made it over the abyss, that the rabble could never control the Gentlemen's govt (e.g., judges made independent so that the superrich could easily buy them), and that this new Constitution would illegally and unconstitutionally side-step the standing Constitution's deadly requirements for any amendment of its fundamental law.<br /><br />Convention delegates who were offended by gross denial of truth were driven off (setting a tradition that still holds today --bad guys stay to drive good guys away). Commoner rabble giving instructions to the Gentlemen's National Congress? Not ever, sir.<br /><br />I'm winging it here, of course. Lots of ground to cover between "Syriana", its very sophisticated sophistry, and our national beginnings, with their very sophisticated sophistry. The ground is already stuck together for all time. We've just got to wing over it so that you can see the unbroken connection.<br /><br />Sophistry is how the monied elites have always led ordinary Americans around by the nose, misleading us into thinking that we're free--so that we can be more thoroughly enslaved to them and their progeny. Black Arts sophistry is lying with the appearance of telling the truth.<br /><br />Ordinary Americans of the Revolutionary Era trusted the educated "Gentlemen"--their leaders in the War--to give them the govt promised in the Declararion Of Independence (DOI)--their very own sentiments put down on paper by Thomas Jefferson.<br /><br />It was about self-evident truths and inalienable rights. Govts deriving just powers from the governed, and with their direct consent. Govts not complying altered or abolished by order of the people as a matter of right and duty. New govts having restrictions and limits dictated by order of the people and based on nothing more than the people's pleasure.<br /><br />The DOI was the central propaganda of the War, read at most military and civilian gatherings, nailed to buildings far and wide. Think major recruiting poster. You join us, you get to kill tyrannical Englishmen, and you get to have this perfect govt. One of my 5-g grandfathers, Jonas Butterfield, Dunstable, Mass, suckered for the punch. Like all patriots, he and his family endured deep war-time hardships for the sake of the DOI's ideal govt.<br /><br />The comparison between the first paragraphs of the DOI and the govt delivered in the 1787 Constitution engineered by Hamilton and the good ol' boys is Proof One. They did us wrong.<br /><br />What Hamilton and his Federalist deceivers gave ordinary Americans in the 1787 Constitution was the contradiction of the govt promised in the DOI. It was a deep betrayal of the war-torn patriots and their progeny. It was a govt intended to preserve the superrich and their parasites forever--tyranny, simply put.<br /><br />It was dispicable behavior by the "Gentlemen" heaped onto ordinary Americans, slavery and all. Hamilton showed them the way.<br /><br />We also have the "Federalist Papers". They're Proof Two.<br /><br />They're Hamilton's vacuous arguments, incredible sophistic lies, and clear mis-uses of obscure Aristotlean logic forms--all designed to blind ordinary Americans while leading them into the trap govt that would ensure superrich domination forever.<br /><br />Roll on, St.Burr.<br /><br />Yes, I'm the one who sainted Aaron Burr in 1969 for his fatal shooting of Hamilton, the Great Falsehood, in 1804. I'm not alone in my sentiments. John Adams, 2nd U.S. President, also read Hamilton in the "Federalist Papers" and knew his character better than me. In 1815, Adams wrote that Hamilton was "the most restless, impatient, artful, indefatigable, and unprincipled intriguer in the United States, if not in the world". (He was commenting on Gen Washington's taking of Hamilton as his 2nd in command, while rejecting St.Burr's application to be a lowly Brigadier General, War of 1812, because St.Burr was an intriguer.)<br /><br />St.Burr, one vote from being the 3rd U.S. President and still the sitting 3rd U.S. Vice-President when he gunned down Hamilton, was a man whose few, stand-tall principles conflicted with most others of his "Gentlemen" class. He believed women were the equal of men--taught his daughter several languages and how to shoot from horseback. He believed that slavery should be abolished, bringing a bill to that effect when he was elected to the New York State Assembly, 1784--some 79 years before Lincoln did the deed. He was deeply tied to truth. Talked the talk AND walked the walk. He believed that dispicable behavior from a "Gentleman" was too dishonorable to be allowed.<br /><br />It was that last bit that pulled Hamilton by his forked, dispicable tongue into the long grind to the famous duel with St.Burr, who put a 54-caliber ball through Hamilton's liver. This, despite Hamilton's strategem of supplying pistols--his right as the one challenged--that had concealed single-set triggers.<br /><br />We have one of the original pistols, and replications have been produced. They are Gentlemen's pistols, but not proper dueling pistols. They look normal enough. There's just one trigger in each. No suspicious buttons, levers, or latches, as appear on some set-trigger pistols of the period. True to Hamilton's devious character, however, there's a trick: push trigger forward to set. Counter-intuitive, as are the truths that lay hidden in the tightest of sophistries. Pistol triggers are for pulling to you, not for pushing away.<br /><br />Hamilton was too street-dumb to think that wiley, war-wise St.Burr might know about these widely-used pistols owned by Hamilton's brother-in-law. Certainly, in Hamilton's conniving mind, St.Burr would not know to push the trigger forward one click to set it for a half-pound-pull, avoiding the 10-12-pound pull of using the trigger un-set. Hair trigger means more accuracy than heavy trigger. Ha-ha, Hamilton had his hated nemesis now, on that bright Wednesday New Jersey morning, 11 July, Weehawken dueling ledge, near the river.<br /><br />St.Burr is silent on the issue. We'll never know for sure.<br /><br />We do know that Hamilton fired first, very quickly, and that his ball went high and wide, smashing branches above and behind St.Burr. Did he mis-trigger? Serves him right, if he did. His shot was the go for St.Burr, who aimed to kill, and killed--to paraphrase Gore Vidal's admirable 1976 novel, "Burr".<br /><br />St.Burr's stand-tall principles put him far outside the mainstream and made him an easy target. So, of course, Hamilton's boosters--the superrich and their parasites--smeared St.Burr, the notorious assassin, with everything they could reach for a couple of decades. Under that heavy smear is pretty much where St.Burr's reputation lays today. (But see especially, Nancy Isenberg, "Fallen Founder: The Life Of Aaron Burr", 560 pages, 2007. It's been called "a necessary and overdue corrective" by one reviewer--not myself.)<br /><br />Okay, first we'll bury the whole notion of 'sophistry'. We'll publish definitions of it in all the dictionaries. The new definitions will cut it down to a quaint harmlessness. Ordinary citizens should never know which way is up.<br /><br />If the U.S. monied elite are good at anything, it's buying whatever they want--politicians, judges, professors, publishers, along with "ships, and shoes, and sealing wax"--what the walruses preach to gullible oysters.<br /><br />Of course, the monied elites can't hide classical sophistry from students of philosophy and logic. There's just too much information in too many literatures bearing on the 1st and 2nd Sophistics. Those are sophistry activity periods roughly lumped around the lives and anti-sophistry writings of Aristotle and Cicero, respectively. Both men were adamant that truth is a necessary attribute of human community. Both expressed the human need for truth in many ways. Both have many adherents who speak and write in many languages. (Yes, I know. Cicero is too slippery to put up at Aristotle's level. But it was a 2nd Century CE sophist who named Cicero to the 2nd Sophistic, so truth deals the hand.)<br /><br />Additionally, there's modern-day cook-book logic. It's course-work for college freshman, which, all by itself, shreds and blows up sophistry by the numbers. (Do they still teach that course of truth tables, Aristotlean syllogisms, set theory, and Venn diagrams? Measures of truth. Freed my post-military, straight-jacketed brain and gave me wings.)<br /><br />Forget dictionaries for 'sophistry'. Go straight for George Kennedy's translation of "Aristotle: A Theory of Civic Discourse", Oxford Univ Press, 1991. Kennedy's translation is unique in the world of philosophy. It's an exercise in English language clarity that requires no previous study by the reader into the rigors of philosophy or the Greek language. Kennedy is a teacher.<br /><br />It's a 312-page text, but Kennedy needs only about 97 pages to teach the reader (Aristotle's) classical persuasion's "logos" (evidence in fact or in truthful argument), "ethos" (expressions of the laudable character of the principal person or persons), and "pathos" (creation of emotion in the observer that is favorable to the attempted persuasion and to the principal person or persons).<br /><br />Those elements of persuasion are the same for both classical rhetoric and classical sophistry. However, as advertised, classical rhetoric's persuasion is based on truth and ethical intent. Classical sophistry's persuation is based on plausible falsehoods and unethical intent.<br /><br />As Aristotle says, sophistry is a matter of the deliberate choice of specious arguments. No wiggle room. (See Kennedy, p. 36, in section 14.)<br /><br />Don't worry about how to handle sophistry. There's a falsehood in there, no matter how plausible. Pull out the lie and the whole thing unravels. Find the lie.<br /><br />The mis-steps to our sophistry-laden step-off into American govt are especially germane to "Syriana" because the motivation was and is the grabbing of our money and the power that money provides. We're sitting on 224 years of connected, anti-American sophistry.<br /><br />Grabbing money and power was Hamilton's job in the Constitutional Convention and in the "Federalist Papers". Fair readings of the extant delegates' journals at the Convention--kept behind closed doors--and of the "Federalist Papers", show that Hamilton was up to his eyeballs in money- and power-grabbing sophistries. Slavery? No problem. It's profitable for the "Gentlemen" Citizen rights? What citizen rights? Oh, you won't agree to the Constitution without them? Magna Carta? 500 years ago? How brazen of you, sir. How rude and insulting, sir. We'll fight you every inch of the way--deviously and behind your backs, of course, as is our way. (The Bill of Rights could have been much more than what it is.)<br /><br />Grabbing money and power is also the "Syriana" screenplay's job. It's there to persuade us that all the good greed and winning corruption performed by the fascist-corporatism of Big Oil and U.S. govt is necessary to get us what WE DEMAND in gasoline and fuel oil. It's all OUR FAULT. It's there to put us off just one more month, one more year, one more decade. Let the good times roll the money on in.<br /><br />Hocus-pocus. You will not remember the politician-spewed promises of alternative energy sources made since Nixon's 1971 howler. You will not remember Clinton's snuffing, about 1996, of the Office of Fuels Development (under the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). It was the agency that discovered that we could get 100-percent of our annual over-the-road fuel needs from algae-biodiesel grown in an American desert and burned in standard diesel engines. No more Gulf-region dependency.<br /><br />Clinton used fascist-corporatism like a club to preserve Big Oil's way of life in the global oil fields and in global terrorism. So far he's helped them to get about 16 more years of unquestioned, unprosecuted time and money.<br /><br />Fortunately for all of us, smart people at the Univ of New Hampshire remembered the algae-biodiesel advancements of that little, seemingly insignificant agency.<br /><br />Hocus-pocus. You will only remember the confused and chop-away-editing stew of "Syriana" sophistry--where greed is good, corruption is why we win, and terrorists get to murder innocents across the world with weapons we supply because our oil interests in the Gulf region demand that we sell terrorists such weapons. (How else would fascist-corporatism get US military grunts to fight and die for Big Oil profits? I mean, now that Weapons of Mass Destruction are no longer on the table. Remember WMDs? No, I didn't think so.)<br /><br />The blatant fascist-corporatism sophistry of "Syriana" is a dispicable insult to my intelligence. And that's after I've acknowledged that "Syriana" is just a fictional story, nothing more. I can only hope that many others have similar sensibilities and reactions.<br /><br />You should sit through a few showings of "Syriana" to get a finger-tip feeling of what sustained sophistry looks like. More importantly, it can show you the difficulty of finding the sophistic lies at first glance. Against sophisticated sophistry, you have to look all the way around the front and the back, and then bring in outside counter-examples.<br /><br />Stay real. Question everything. Drive it all through shaped charges of logic and reason with critical thinking. Pull it all through the highest levels of intellectual honesty, where belief systems are not allowed. Remember Bertrand Bussell: "People would rather die than think--most do."<br /><br />Other than Tim Blake Nelson's Danny Dalton and his misrepresentation of Milton Friedman's Nobel Prize--in his "corruption is why we win" speech--there's nothing in "Syriana" to really nail down as a falsehood. It's all a fiction to start with. The exercise in the difficulty of nailing down sophistic lies on-the-face-of-it makes watching "Syriana" a worthy exercise. You have to go outside "Syriana" to demonstrate the sophistic lies presented inside "Syriana". You have to do the same with the "Federalist Papers" in many of its sophistries.<br /><br />Of course, turning your sophistry analysis to the "Federalist Papers" might require that you go up a few skill-sets--given 18th Century English-language usages, intense political history, and Hamilton's skillful use of the more obscure elements in Aristotlean logic. Still, from the springboards of the Kennedy text and cook-book logic, it's do-able.<br /><br />American society and its human communities need to grasp the whole run of sophistry in our national history. It's knowledge that can prevent on-going nose-leading and pick-pocketing. And, in the end, it's the showing off of that on-going element for which "Syriana" should be prized.<br /><br />Hey, us and them are pretty much the same since 1787. More's the pity.<br /><br />--spib, 07 Jan 2012.
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SPOILER ALERTbr br Syriana is just one fictional epic journey among thousands that your govt and oil industry have taken for you in order to comply with your demands for gasoline and fuel oil. Its a journey of deliciously good greed, globally winning corruption, absolutely minimized collateral damage, and the wonderful people at the middletop of the Great American Empire who already have a place in NeoCon Heaven.br br The American people have dictated this path for their govt and oil industry with their demands for gasoline and heating oil. Wethefascistcorporatism are just the innocent little church mouse in this terrible situation. We've tried, cried, and yelped for help from the people, but there's no help coming. So we do the best we can with what little we have.br br Here's Syriana, one magnificient story detailing DETAILING what we have to do to get what the people demand. See for yourself how we manage our resources with an astronomical amount of honor, an absolute minimum of human anguish, and only a tiny amount of unfortunate wholesale slaughter. Of course we can't name names or places, or identify anything anywhere, but we give you all the details worth reporting. And, of course, we have to scoot the story around a lot so that our enemies can't figure out what we're doing to them or what we're doing to defend ourselves, but you'll fit it all together.br br I wouldn't have had that take on Syriana without watching the DVD's special features. Going through those special features is a jawdropper. The players and filmmakers really do want to sell that drivel.br br They're trying to persuade us that the fascistcorporatism of Big Oil and U.S. govt are the good guys. They want us fit all the fragments of Syriana together so that corporatism comes out looking good, and so that it must not come out looking any way but good.br br BUT NO, IT CAN'T BE DONE. Syriana is somebody's cutsey idea of playing CYA for Big Oil and its govt puppets. Syriana is so deep into sophistic fictions that, once realworld truths are laid alongside the film's sophistic fictional lies, there's nothing that fits together in there except dishonor, corporate greed, human anguish, political corruption, and needless death.br br And that's after you try to make it work as a story of how the good, honorable people tried, and tried, and tried but, oops, missed it by just that much, when the CIAlaunched missle nails the goodguy CIA dude George Clooney's Bob Barnes and the goodguy Arab prince Alexander Siddig's excellentlyplayed Prince Nasir AlSubaai in the same boom.br br Goodhonorable doesn't work nuuhh uuuhh. What works is the same depraved persuasion fronted by sophistry that Big Oil has been hitting us with since John D. Rockefeller.br br Classical rhetoric's persuasion is based on truth and ethical intent. Human community works best when persuaded with truth.br br Classical sophistry's persuation is based on plausible falsehoods and unethical intent. There are lies in any sophistryno matter how plausibleintended to make the bad guys look good.br br From the fall of the kings in ancient Greece and Rome, about 500 BCE, sophists made fortunes for themselves and their clientsboth in the lawcourts and in teaching their students how to bend lies into softness and nearly into truth. Machiavelli picked it up in the 1500s. Then, in 1776, the American monied elites, Jefferson's everarrogant natural aristocracy, found themselves standing squarely in the time warp that made sophists right for them, too.br br It took me several viewings to get all the way around Syriana. There's so much sophistryand the sophistry is so well executed and so chopped up with fractured storytelling and chopaway editingthat, initially, the sophistries kept pointing me off.br br I'm just not accustomed to that level of sophistication in sophistry hurling. Haven't seen its like since my last reading of Alexander Hamilton's writings in the Federalist Papers. Usually sophistry comes at me in sophmoric mental vomit chunks, dropping away from the main spew, allowing sidestepping and chunk labeling on the fly. Most sophists today are unskilled sophomores.br br Remember now, you can't find the word, 'sophistry', correctly defined in any dictionary published after about 1776. That's when it became important to the U.S. monied elites to neuter and dehorn classical sophistry into something more modern and less threatening to their bamboozling of ordinary Americans.br br They didn't need ordinary citizens springboarding from Aristotle and Cicero's antisophistry writings to Machiavelli's 1532 preachments on deception in The Prince, and on into their own deceptions.br br The wonderful Gentlemen judges who denied the rights of the rabble to instruct their legislaturesfrom 1776 to 1786deserved protection. It was our first national debate, and it was bitter. It was so acromonious that most of the winners' text books today don't even mention it. To find its descriptions, you have to get into really esoteric history books, such as Gordon S. Wood's 1969, The Creation of the American Republic, 17761787, published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, Virginia. If you don't read another book in your life, read that one. Bring a jaded eye. Wood sides with the bad guys.br br In 1750s1780s America, instructing legislatures was an imperfectly understood fragment of direct democracy from the Roman Republic. However, instructing legislatures was Republican theory tenaciously grasped by ordinary Americans. The Gentlemen, in 1776, saw that it could ruin pieinthesky fortunes for coming generations of future Gentlemen, who had the natural right to take whatever wealth and power they could. Still think they do. 'Instructing legislatures' needed to be stamped out right now. Against the dogged refusals of the rabble to knuckle under to the everarrogant Gentlemen, there was nothing left to do but to hit them with vacuous arguments, deluxe sophistry, and tyrannical power.br br Then, just in the nick of 1786 time, up jumped Alexander Hamilton, the Great Falsehoodselfserving suckup hero to generals and the superrich, Grand Master of BlackArts Sophistry. He would deliver the Gentlemen and untold generations of their progeny into control of their fates. He would deliver mastery over the commonerrabble and all the industries that the Gentlemen could ever invent gold in the Plains Indians' sacred Black Hills and the black gold of Big Oil, for two examples.br br The line from Hamilton's 1786 sophistry to the Syriana sophistry fending for Big Oil and the Great American Empire is unbroken and linear.br br Hamilton scurried around to all the right people, autumn 1786, setting up the Federal Convention read, Constitutional Convention for summer 1787. The rabble's right to instruct their legislatures went soundlessly moot. The Constitutional Convention would settle everything.br br Then, from May to September 1787, Hamilton honcho'd the Federalist faction at the Constitutional Convention. He dotted the eyes and crossed the tees that ensured slavery made it over the abyss, that the rabble could never control the Gentlemen's govt e.g., judges made independent so that the superrich could easily buy them, and that this new Constitution would illegally and unconstitutionally sidestep the standing Constitution's deadly requirements for any amendment of its fundamental law.br br Convention delegates who were offended by gross denial of truth were driven off setting a tradition that still holds today bad guys stay to drive good guys away. Commoner rabble giving instructions to the Gentlemen's National Congress? Not ever, sir.br br I'm winging it here, of course. Lots of ground to cover between Syriana, its very sophisticated sophistry, and our national beginnings, with their very sophisticated sophistry. The ground is already stuck together for all time. We've just got to wing over it so that you can see the unbroken connection.br br Sophistry is how the monied elites have always led ordinary Americans around by the nose, misleading us into thinking that we're freeso that we can be more thoroughly enslaved to them and their progeny. Black Arts sophistry is lying with the appearance of telling the truth.br br Ordinary Americans of the Revolutionary Era trusted the educated Gentlementheir leaders in the Warto give them the govt promised in the Declararion Of Independence DOItheir very own sentiments put down on paper by Thomas Jefferson.br br It was about selfevident truths and inalienable rights. Govts deriving just powers from the governed, and with their direct consent. Govts not complying altered or abolished by order of the people as a matter of right and duty. New govts having restrictions and limits dictated by order of the people and based on nothing more than the people's pleasure.br br The DOI was the central propaganda of the War, read at most military and civilian gatherings, nailed to buildings far and wide. Think major recruiting poster. You join us, you get to kill tyrannical Englishmen, and you get to have this perfect govt. One of my 5g grandfathers, Jonas Butterfield, Dunstable, Mass, suckered for the punch. Like all patriots, he and his family endured deep wartime hardships for the sake of the DOI's ideal govt.br br The comparison between the first paragraphs of the DOI and the govt delivered in the 1787 Constitution engineered by Hamilton and the good ol' boys is Proof One. They did us wrong.br br What Hamilton and his Federalist deceivers gave ordinary Americans in the 1787 Constitution was the contradiction of the govt promised in the DOI. It was a deep betrayal of the wartorn patriots and their progeny. It was a govt intended to preserve the superrich and their parasites forevertyranny, simply put.br br It was dispicable behavior by the Gentlemen heaped onto ordinary Americans, slavery and all. Hamilton showed them the way.br br We also have the Federalist Papers. They're Proof Two.br br They're Hamilton's vacuous arguments, incredible sophistic lies, and clear misuses of obscure Aristotlean logic formsall designed to blind ordinary Americans while leading them into the trap govt that would ensure superrich domination forever.br br Roll on, St.Burr.br br Yes, I'm the one who sainted Aaron Burr in 1969 for his fatal shooting of Hamilton, the Great Falsehood, in 1804. I'm not alone in my sentiments. John Adams, 2nd U.S. President, also read Hamilton in the Federalist Papers and knew his character better than me. In 1815, Adams wrote that Hamilton was the most restless, impatient, artful, indefatigable, and unprincipled intriguer in the United States, if not in the world. He was commenting on Gen Washington's taking of Hamilton as his 2nd in command, while rejecting St.Burr's application to be a lowly Brigadier General, War of 1812, because St.Burr was an intriguer.br br St.Burr, one vote from being the 3rd U.S. President and still the sitting 3rd U.S. VicePresident when he gunned down Hamilton, was a man whose few, standtall principles conflicted with most others of his Gentlemen class. He believed women were the equal of mentaught his daughter several languages and how to shoot from horseback. He believed that slavery should be abolished, bringing a bill to that effect when he was elected to the New York State Assembly, 1784some 79 years before Lincoln did the deed. He was deeply tied to truth. Talked the talk AND walked the walk. He believed that dispicable behavior from a Gentleman was too dishonorable to be allowed.br br It was that last bit that pulled Hamilton by his forked, dispicable tongue into the long grind to the famous duel with St.Burr, who put a 54caliber ball through Hamilton's liver. This, despite Hamilton's strategem of supplying pistolshis right as the one challengedthat had concealed singleset triggers.br br We have one of the original pistols, and replications have been produced. They are Gentlemen's pistols, but not proper dueling pistols. They look normal enough. There's just one trigger in each. No suspicious buttons, levers, or latches, as appear on some settrigger pistols of the period. True to Hamilton's devious character, however, there's a trick push trigger forward to set. Counterintuitive, as are the truths that lay hidden in the tightest of sophistries. Pistol triggers are for pulling to you, not for pushing away.br br Hamilton was too streetdumb to think that wiley, warwise St.Burr might know about these widelyused pistols owned by Hamilton's brotherinlaw. Certainly, in Hamilton's conniving mind, St.Burr would not know to push the trigger forward one click to set it for a halfpoundpull, avoiding the 1012pound pull of using the trigger unset. Hair trigger means more accuracy than heavy trigger. Haha, Hamilton had his hated nemesis now, on that bright Wednesday New Jersey morning, 11 July, Weehawken dueling ledge, near the river.br br St.Burr is silent on the issue. We'll never know for sure.br br We do know that Hamilton fired first, very quickly, and that his ball went high and wide, smashing branches above and behind St.Burr. Did he mistrigger? Serves him right, if he did. His shot was the go for St.Burr, who aimed to kill, and killedto paraphrase Gore Vidal's admirable 1976 novel, Burr.br br St.Burr's standtall principles put him far outside the mainstream and made him an easy target. So, of course, Hamilton's boostersthe superrich and their parasitessmeared St.Burr, the notorious assassin, with everything they could reach for a couple of decades. Under that heavy smear is pretty much where St.Burr's reputation lays today. But see especially, Nancy Isenberg, Fallen Founder The Life Of Aaron Burr, 560 pages, 2007. It's been called a necessary and overdue corrective by one reviewernot myself.br br Okay, first we'll bury the whole notion of 'sophistry'. We'll publish definitions of it in all the dictionaries. The new definitions will cut it down to a quaint harmlessness. Ordinary citizens should never know which way is up.br br If the U.S. monied elite are good at anything, it's buying whatever they wantpoliticians, judges, professors, publishers, along with ships, and shoes, and sealing waxwhat the walruses preach to gullible oysters.br br Of course, the monied elites can't hide classical sophistry from students of philosophy and logic. There's just too much information in too many literatures bearing on the 1st and 2nd Sophistics. Those are sophistry activity periods roughly lumped around the lives and antisophistry writings of Aristotle and Cicero, respectively. Both men were adamant that truth is a necessary attribute of human community. Both expressed the human need for truth in many ways. Both have many adherents who speak and write in many languages. Yes, I know. Cicero is too slippery to put up at Aristotle's level. But it was a 2nd Century CE sophist who named Cicero to the 2nd Sophistic, so truth deals the hand.br br Additionally, there's modernday cookbook logic. It's coursework for college freshman, which, all by itself, shreds and blows up sophistry by the numbers. Do they still teach that course of truth tables, Aristotlean syllogisms, set theory, and Venn diagrams? Measures of truth. Freed my postmilitary, straightjacketed brain and gave me wings.br br Forget dictionaries for 'sophistry'. Go straight for George Kennedy's translation of Aristotle A Theory of Civic Discourse, Oxford Univ Press, 1991. Kennedy's translation is unique in the world of philosophy. It's an exercise in English language clarity that requires no previous study by the reader into the rigors of philosophy or the Greek language. Kennedy is a teacher.br br It's a 312page text, but Kennedy needs only about 97 pages to teach the reader Aristotle's classical persuasion's logos evidence in fact or in truthful argument, ethos expressions of the laudable character of the principal person or persons, and pathos creation of emotion in the observer that is favorable to the attempted persuasion and to the principal person or persons.br br Those elements of persuasion are the same for both classical rhetoric and classical sophistry. However, as advertised, classical rhetoric's persuasion is based on truth and ethical intent. Classical sophistry's persuation is based on plausible falsehoods and unethical intent.br br As Aristotle says, sophistry is a matter of the deliberate choice of specious arguments. No wiggle room. See Kennedy, p. 36, in section 14.br br Don't worry about how to handle sophistry. There's a falsehood in there, no matter how plausible. Pull out the lie and the whole thing unravels. Find the lie.br br The missteps to our sophistryladen stepoff into American govt are especially germane to Syriana because the motivation was and is the grabbing of our money and the power that money provides. We're sitting on 224 years of connected, antiAmerican sophistry.br br Grabbing money and power was Hamilton's job in the Constitutional Convention and in the Federalist Papers. Fair readings of the extant delegates' journals at the Conventionkept behind closed doorsand of the Federalist Papers, show that Hamilton was up to his eyeballs in money and powergrabbing sophistries. Slavery? No problem. It's profitable for the Gentlemen Citizen rights? What citizen rights? Oh, you won't agree to the Constitution without them? Magna Carta? 500 years ago? How brazen of you, sir. How rude and insulting, sir. We'll fight you every inch of the waydeviously and behind your backs, of course, as is our way. The Bill of Rights could have been much more than what it is.br br Grabbing money and power is also the Syriana screenplay's job. It's there to persuade us that all the good greed and winning corruption performed by the fascistcorporatism of Big Oil and U.S. govt is necessary to get us what WE DEMAND in gasoline and fuel oil. It's all OUR FAULT. It's there to put us off just one more month, one more year, one more decade. Let the good times roll the money on in.br br Hocuspocus. You will not remember the politicianspewed promises of alternative energy sources made since Nixon's 1971 howler. You will not remember Clinton's snuffing, about 1996, of the Office of Fuels Development under the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It was the agency that discovered that we could get 100percent of our annual overtheroad fuel needs from algaebiodiesel grown in an American desert and burned in standard diesel engines. No more Gulfregion dependency.br br Clinton used fascistcorporatism like a club to preserve Big Oil's way of life in the global oil fields and in global terrorism. So far he's helped them to get about 16 more years of unquestioned, unprosecuted time and money.br br Fortunately for all of us, smart people at the Univ of New Hampshire remembered the algaebiodiesel advancements of that little, seemingly insignificant agency.br br Hocuspocus. You will only remember the confused and chopawayediting stew of Syriana sophistrywhere greed is good, corruption is why we win, and terrorists get to murder innocents across the world with weapons we supply because our oil interests in the Gulf region demand that we sell terrorists such weapons. How else would fascistcorporatism get US military grunts to fight and die for Big Oil profits? I mean, now that Weapons of Mass Destruction are no longer on the table. Remember WMDs? No, I didn't think so.br br The blatant fascistcorporatism sophistry of Syriana is a dispicable insult to my intelligence. And that's after I've acknowledged that Syriana is just a fictional story, nothing more. I can only hope that many others have similar sensibilities and reactions.br br You should sit through a few showings of Syriana to get a fingertip feeling of what sustained sophistry looks like. More importantly, it can show you the difficulty of finding the sophistic lies at first glance. Against sophisticated sophistry, you have to look all the way around the front and the back, and then bring in outside counterexamples.br br Stay real. Question everything. Drive it all through shaped charges of logic and reason with critical thinking. Pull it all through the highest levels of intellectual honesty, where belief systems are not allowed. Remember Bertrand Bussell People would rather die than thinkmost do.br br Other than Tim Blake Nelson's Danny Dalton and his misrepresentation of Milton Friedman's Nobel Prizein his corruption is why we win speechthere's nothing in Syriana to really nail down as a falsehood. It's all a fiction to start with. The exercise in the difficulty of nailing down sophistic lies onthefaceofit makes watching Syriana a worthy exercise. You have to go outside Syriana to demonstrate the sophistic lies presented inside Syriana. You have to do the same with the Federalist Papers in many of its sophistries.br br Of course, turning your sophistry analysis to the Federalist Papers might require that you go up a few skillsetsgiven 18th Century Englishlanguage usages, intense political history, and Hamilton's skillful use of the more obscure elements in Aristotlean logic. Still, from the springboards of the Kennedy text and cookbook logic, it's doable.br br American society and its human communities need to grasp the whole run of sophistry in our national history. It's knowledge that can prevent ongoing noseleading and pickpocketing. And, in the end, it's the showing off of that ongoing element for which Syriana should be prized.br br Hey, us and them are pretty much the same since 1787. More's the pity.br br spib, 07 Jan 2012.
| 21,603 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
An excellent, timely, eye-opening film.
|
Get one thing straight at the outset: you will probably need to either watch this film a few times or read an in depth summary of all the characters, relations and events in the movie /before/ watching it or you will have a very difficult time piecing it all together. There are just too many characters and too many subtle relationships-- ie. relationships whose precise nature must be ascertained by careful attention to dialogue between all the characters-- for the average person to take it all in on one sitting. This is not a sleight on the movie; this film aimed to paint a realistic picture of the world's current political landscape and how so much of it revolves around oil. Since the film aimed to paint a /realistic/ picture, and not simply pump out a Hollywood extravaganza, many of the movie's key events are not heralded by big explosions or other drama, but rather they take the form of backroom conversations and handshakes whose full import and significance can be missed if one doesn't catch all the relevant details. That being said, what the movie set out to do, it did very well-- I was engaged and interested throughout the entire film.<br /><lj-cut><br />For those of you who have long suspected that:<br /><br />1) the major tide of events in the world are, to a large degree, controlled by rich old men in suits whose /only aim/ is to become richer and to ensure that their way of life and the power structure that supports it will continue to thrive-- at whatever expense,<br /><br />2) many people in high places have indeed tried to instigate changes for the betterment of the earth and its people contrary to the financial interests the rich elite, and that these same people have been crushed and vanquished by that same elite, who will have none of it,<br /><br />3) this whole "us vs. them" picture that gets painted by the media between Arab nations and the West is grossly misleading and that our true enemies are not faceless terrorists in other lands, but rather those in the corporate and government headquarters of /all lands/ who will sacrifice the well being of all on the altar of their immediate profit,<br /><br />4) our society is hopelessly addicted to oil and this addiction is currently the biggest shaper of world events out there,<br /><br />5) the average person in an Arab country is just like an average person in America-- an individual soul complete with hopes, fears, ideals and dreams who is, for the most part, totally unaware of, and completely detached from, what is going on in the upper echelons of their society,<br /><br />this movie will serve to strengthen those suspicions and it will do it in a way that is both balanced and believable. Does it offer any solutions? Not really-- but I don't think that was its aim, which was simply to give us a picture of how things actually are, contrary to what is often conveyed in the media. No, the US is not in the Middle East in the name of democracy (does anyone actually believe that they are?)-- they are there to keep their fingers in the world's largest remaining oil supply /in order that our way of life will be preserved/. That's a point that is pretty easy to overlook-- too many people are hypercriticial of the US governemnt's "true" motivation for being in the Middle East and yet will fail to reflect on that significance as they hop into their SUV and drive to work. Our entire society would cease to function as it does now if we suddenly lost access to liberal supplies of Middle Eastern oil. Secondly, no, the Arabs are not simply a population of terrorists but are humans just like us who are caught up in this great world drama that /we all/ ultimately shape and determine. If there is a greater incidence of terrorism over there it is simply because it is closer in proximity to where everything is happening. Many of these "terrorist attacks" are instigated by the same frustrations that many of us feel when we reflect on the degree to which greedy businessmen and politicians mislead us all to satisfy their own lusts for power and money. I found it easy to sympathize with a group of youth in this movie who felt compelled to violence as they watched their country being sold off to the highest bidder simply due to the greed of those in charge.<br /><br />One of the things I really appreciated about this film was how, contra current trends in the media, it painted Arab youth, not simply as a group of "terrorists in training" but rather as a very human group of kids who are just like us westerners-- they sneak out with their friends to get drunk, they talk about girls and sex, they have ideals about the world and are disappointed with how things are turning out. Yes, some of them get swept up into terrorist movements, but lets put that in perspective. We have everything here-- if all of our oppulence were suddently taken from us and given to some other country who proceded to squander and waste it, is it not reasonable to assume that there would be a lot of angry people here who would soon resort to some rather drastic acts of protest? I don't find that hard to believe at all. This, now that I think of it, might have been the central message of this movie. We're all in this, that is to say, sharing this planet, together. It's wrong and dangerous to create these arbitrary divisions between Arabs and Westerners-- as there are good, idealistic souls in both lands. What we really need to worry about is the degree to which the rich and powerful control the tide of world events to suit their own individual interests and the degree to which we, as a world citizenry, are hopelessly addicted to a form of energy that will one day run out.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFTRUD6EZOP34FHUJY6IBMVIHPIA
| 1,153,676,761,000 | 7 |
Get one thing straight at the outset you will probably need to either watch this film a few times or read an in depth summary of all the characters, relations and events in the movie before watching it or you will have a very difficult time piecing it all together. There are just too many characters and too many subtle relationships ie. relationships whose precise nature must be ascertained by careful attention to dialogue between all the characters for the average person to take it all in on one sitting. This is not a sleight on the movie this film aimed to paint a realistic picture of the world's current political landscape and how so much of it revolves around oil. Since the film aimed to paint a realistic picture, and not simply pump out a Hollywood extravaganza, many of the movie's key events are not heralded by big explosions or other drama, but rather they take the form of backroom conversations and handshakes whose full import and significance can be missed if one doesn't catch all the relevant details. That being said, what the movie set out to do, it did very well I was engaged and interested throughout the entire film.br ltljcutbr For those of you who have long suspected thatbr br 1 the major tide of events in the world are, to a large degree, controlled by rich old men in suits whose only aim is to become richer and to ensure that their way of life and the power structure that supports it will continue to thrive at whatever expense,br br 2 many people in high places have indeed tried to instigate changes for the betterment of the earth and its people contrary to the financial interests the rich elite, and that these same people have been crushed and vanquished by that same elite, who will have none of it,br br 3 this whole us vs. them picture that gets painted by the media between Arab nations and the West is grossly misleading and that our true enemies are not faceless terrorists in other lands, but rather those in the corporate and government headquarters of all lands who will sacrifice the well being of all on the altar of their immediate profit,br br 4 our society is hopelessly addicted to oil and this addiction is currently the biggest shaper of world events out there,br br 5 the average person in an Arab country is just like an average person in America an individual soul complete with hopes, fears, ideals and dreams who is, for the most part, totally unaware of, and completely detached from, what is going on in the upper echelons of their society,br br this movie will serve to strengthen those suspicions and it will do it in a way that is both balanced and believable. Does it offer any solutions? Not really but I don't think that was its aim, which was simply to give us a picture of how things actually are, contrary to what is often conveyed in the media. No, the US is not in the Middle East in the name of democracy does anyone actually believe that they are? they are there to keep their fingers in the world's largest remaining oil supply in order that our way of life will be preserved. That's a point that is pretty easy to overlook too many people are hypercriticial of the US governemnt's true motivation for being in the Middle East and yet will fail to reflect on that significance as they hop into their SUV and drive to work. Our entire society would cease to function as it does now if we suddenly lost access to liberal supplies of Middle Eastern oil. Secondly, no, the Arabs are not simply a population of terrorists but are humans just like us who are caught up in this great world drama that we all ultimately shape and determine. If there is a greater incidence of terrorism over there it is simply because it is closer in proximity to where everything is happening. Many of these terrorist attacks are instigated by the same frustrations that many of us feel when we reflect on the degree to which greedy businessmen and politicians mislead us all to satisfy their own lusts for power and money. I found it easy to sympathize with a group of youth in this movie who felt compelled to violence as they watched their country being sold off to the highest bidder simply due to the greed of those in charge.br br One of the things I really appreciated about this film was how, contra current trends in the media, it painted Arab youth, not simply as a group of terrorists in training but rather as a very human group of kids who are just like us westerners they sneak out with their friends to get drunk, they talk about girls and sex, they have ideals about the world and are disappointed with how things are turning out. Yes, some of them get swept up into terrorist movements, but lets put that in perspective. We have everything here if all of our oppulence were suddently taken from us and given to some other country who proceded to squander and waste it, is it not reasonable to assume that there would be a lot of angry people here who would soon resort to some rather drastic acts of protest? I don't find that hard to believe at all. This, now that I think of it, might have been the central message of this movie. We're all in this, that is to say, sharing this planet, together. It's wrong and dangerous to create these arbitrary divisions between Arabs and Westerners as there are good, idealistic souls in both lands. What we really need to worry about is the degree to which the rich and powerful control the tide of world events to suit their own individual interests and the degree to which we, as a world citizenry, are hopelessly addicted to a form of energy that will one day run out.
| 5,588 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
An excellent, timely, eye-opening film.
|
Get one thing straight at the outset: you will probably need to either watch this film a few times or read an in depth summary of all the characters, relations and events in the movie /before/ watching it or you will have a very difficult time piecing it all together. There are just too many characters and too many subtle relationships-- ie. relationships whose precise nature must be ascertained by careful attention to dialogue between all the characters-- for the average person to take it all in on one sitting. This is not a sleight on the movie; this film aimed to paint a realistic picture of the world's current political landscape and how so much of it revolves around oil. Since the film aimed to paint a /realistic/ picture, and not simply pump out a Hollywood extravaganza, many of the movie's key events are not heralded by big explosions or other drama, but rather they take the form of backroom conversations and handshakes whose full import and significance can be missed if one doesn't catch all the relevant details. That being said, what the movie set out to do, it did very well-- I was engaged and interested throughout the entire film.<br /><lj-cut><br />For those of you who have long suspected that:<br /><br />1) the major tide of events in the world are, to a large degree, controlled by rich old men in suits whose /only aim/ is to become richer and to ensure that their way of life and the power structure that supports it will continue to thrive-- at whatever expense,<br /><br />2) many people in high places have indeed tried to instigate changes for the betterment of the earth and its people contrary to the financial interests the rich elite, and that these same people have been crushed and vanquished by that same elite, who will have none of it,<br /><br />3) this whole "us vs. them" picture that gets painted by the media between Arab nations and the West is grossly misleading and that our true enemies are not faceless terrorists in other lands, but rather those in the corporate and government headquarters of /all lands/ who will sacrifice the well being of all on the altar of their immediate profit,<br /><br />4) our society is hopelessly addicted to oil and this addiction is currently the biggest shaper of world events out there,<br /><br />5) the average person in an Arab country is just like an average person in America-- an individual soul complete with hopes, fears, ideals and dreams who is, for the most part, totally unaware of, and completely detached from, what is going on in the upper echelons of their society,<br /><br />this movie will serve to strengthen those suspicions and it will do it in a way that is both balanced and believable. Does it offer any solutions? Not really-- but I don't think that was its aim, which was simply to give us a picture of how things actually are, contrary to what is often conveyed in the media. No, the US is not in the Middle East in the name of democracy (does anyone actually believe that they are?)-- they are there to keep their fingers in the world's largest remaining oil supply /in order that our way of life will be preserved/. That's a point that is pretty easy to overlook-- too many people are hypercriticial of the US governemnt's "true" motivation for being in the Middle East and yet will fail to reflect on that significance as they hop into their SUV and drive to work. Our entire society would cease to function as it does now if we suddenly lost access to liberal supplies of Middle Eastern oil. Secondly, no, the Arabs are not simply a population of terrorists but are humans just like us who are caught up in this great world drama that /we all/ ultimately shape and determine. If there is a greater incidence of terrorism over there it is simply because it is closer in proximity to where everything is happening. Many of these "terrorist attacks" are instigated by the same frustrations that many of us feel when we reflect on the degree to which greedy businessmen and politicians mislead us all to satisfy their own lusts for power and money. I found it easy to sympathize with a group of youth in this movie who felt compelled to violence as they watched their country being sold off to the highest bidder simply due to the greed of those in charge.<br /><br />One of the things I really appreciated about this film was how, contra current trends in the media, it painted Arab youth, not simply as a group of "terrorists in training" but rather as a very human group of kids who are just like us westerners-- they sneak out with their friends to get drunk, they talk about girls and sex, they have ideals about the world and are disappointed with how things are turning out. Yes, some of them get swept up into terrorist movements, but lets put that in perspective. We have everything here-- if all of our oppulence were suddently taken from us and given to some other country who proceded to squander and waste it, is it not reasonable to assume that there would be a lot of angry people here who would soon resort to some rather drastic acts of protest? I don't find that hard to believe at all. This, now that I think of it, might have been the central message of this movie. We're all in this, that is to say, sharing this planet, together. It's wrong and dangerous to create these arbitrary divisions between Arabs and Westerners-- as there are good, idealistic souls in both lands. What we really need to worry about is the degree to which the rich and powerful control the tide of world events to suit their own individual interests and the degree to which we, as a world citizenry, are hopelessly addicted to a form of energy that will one day run out.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AFTRUD6EZOP34FHUJY6IBMVIHPIA
| 1,153,676,761,000 | 7 |
Get one thing straight at the outset you will probably need to either watch this film a few times or read an in depth summary of all the characters, relations and events in the movie before watching it or you will have a very difficult time piecing it all together. There are just too many characters and too many subtle relationships ie. relationships whose precise nature must be ascertained by careful attention to dialogue between all the characters for the average person to take it all in on one sitting. This is not a sleight on the movie this film aimed to paint a realistic picture of the world's current political landscape and how so much of it revolves around oil. Since the film aimed to paint a realistic picture, and not simply pump out a Hollywood extravaganza, many of the movie's key events are not heralded by big explosions or other drama, but rather they take the form of backroom conversations and handshakes whose full import and significance can be missed if one doesn't catch all the relevant details. That being said, what the movie set out to do, it did very well I was engaged and interested throughout the entire film.br ltljcutbr For those of you who have long suspected thatbr br 1 the major tide of events in the world are, to a large degree, controlled by rich old men in suits whose only aim is to become richer and to ensure that their way of life and the power structure that supports it will continue to thrive at whatever expense,br br 2 many people in high places have indeed tried to instigate changes for the betterment of the earth and its people contrary to the financial interests the rich elite, and that these same people have been crushed and vanquished by that same elite, who will have none of it,br br 3 this whole us vs. them picture that gets painted by the media between Arab nations and the West is grossly misleading and that our true enemies are not faceless terrorists in other lands, but rather those in the corporate and government headquarters of all lands who will sacrifice the well being of all on the altar of their immediate profit,br br 4 our society is hopelessly addicted to oil and this addiction is currently the biggest shaper of world events out there,br br 5 the average person in an Arab country is just like an average person in America an individual soul complete with hopes, fears, ideals and dreams who is, for the most part, totally unaware of, and completely detached from, what is going on in the upper echelons of their society,br br this movie will serve to strengthen those suspicions and it will do it in a way that is both balanced and believable. Does it offer any solutions? Not really but I don't think that was its aim, which was simply to give us a picture of how things actually are, contrary to what is often conveyed in the media. No, the US is not in the Middle East in the name of democracy does anyone actually believe that they are? they are there to keep their fingers in the world's largest remaining oil supply in order that our way of life will be preserved. That's a point that is pretty easy to overlook too many people are hypercriticial of the US governemnt's true motivation for being in the Middle East and yet will fail to reflect on that significance as they hop into their SUV and drive to work. Our entire society would cease to function as it does now if we suddenly lost access to liberal supplies of Middle Eastern oil. Secondly, no, the Arabs are not simply a population of terrorists but are humans just like us who are caught up in this great world drama that we all ultimately shape and determine. If there is a greater incidence of terrorism over there it is simply because it is closer in proximity to where everything is happening. Many of these terrorist attacks are instigated by the same frustrations that many of us feel when we reflect on the degree to which greedy businessmen and politicians mislead us all to satisfy their own lusts for power and money. I found it easy to sympathize with a group of youth in this movie who felt compelled to violence as they watched their country being sold off to the highest bidder simply due to the greed of those in charge.br br One of the things I really appreciated about this film was how, contra current trends in the media, it painted Arab youth, not simply as a group of terrorists in training but rather as a very human group of kids who are just like us westerners they sneak out with their friends to get drunk, they talk about girls and sex, they have ideals about the world and are disappointed with how things are turning out. Yes, some of them get swept up into terrorist movements, but lets put that in perspective. We have everything here if all of our oppulence were suddently taken from us and given to some other country who proceded to squander and waste it, is it not reasonable to assume that there would be a lot of angry people here who would soon resort to some rather drastic acts of protest? I don't find that hard to believe at all. This, now that I think of it, might have been the central message of this movie. We're all in this, that is to say, sharing this planet, together. It's wrong and dangerous to create these arbitrary divisions between Arabs and Westerners as there are good, idealistic souls in both lands. What we really need to worry about is the degree to which the rich and powerful control the tide of world events to suit their own individual interests and the degree to which we, as a world citizenry, are hopelessly addicted to a form of energy that will one day run out.
| 5,588 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Terrible, just terrible, don't waste your time or money
|
Terrible movie, waste of time and money, I did not even finish watching it and I enjoy these type of movies.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEOTDALXXYWLYYSKI47RDE54NJ3A
| 1,374,592,916,000 | 0 |
Terrible movie, waste of time and money, I did not even finish watching it and I enjoy these type of movies.
| 108 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Terrible, just terrible, don't waste your time or money
|
Terrible movie, waste of time and money, I did not even finish watching it and I enjoy these type of movies.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEOTDALXXYWLYYSKI47RDE54NJ3A
| 1,374,592,916,000 | 0 |
Terrible movie, waste of time and money, I did not even finish watching it and I enjoy these type of movies.
| 108 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
You Don't know Who To Trust
|
An excellent, suspenseful, engrossing spy story with many twists and turns.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGLR6BCDMU6MENIJY7GUP4BOICUA
| 1,168,759,855,000 | 2 |
An excellent, suspenseful, engrossing spy story with many twists and turns.
| 75 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 5 |
You Don't know Who To Trust
|
An excellent, suspenseful, engrossing spy story with many twists and turns.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AGLR6BCDMU6MENIJY7GUP4BOICUA
| 1,168,759,855,000 | 2 |
An excellent, suspenseful, engrossing spy story with many twists and turns.
| 75 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Boring moive, little action, waste of talented actors
|
I thought this movie might be good b/c I like most of Matt Damon's movies but I was greatly disappointed. I had a hard time even finishing the movie. Save your money or at least rent it before you even think about buying this one.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEDYFMREUKHL7YTWKUPMJU7YD7VQ
| 1,178,272,690,000 | 6 |
I thought this movie might be good bc I like most of Matt Damon's movies but I was greatly disappointed. I had a hard time even finishing the movie. Save your money or at least rent it before you even think about buying this one.
| 229 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
| 4.3 | 2,914 |
[
"Syriana (DVD) (WS)",
"Syriana: noun a geographical term referring to those Middle East hot spots that have proven volatile with regard to the security of the United States; a place in the Middle East where trouble is always breaking out. Based on the best-selling book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer, this timely political thriller takes a penetrating look at the efforts of the U.S. intelligence-gathering community in the Middle East, weaving together several storylines ranging from American foreign policy and the CIA's role in it to the oil industry and terrorism. Welcome to Syriana.",
"]]>"
] |
7.31
|
B000F7CMRM
| 1 |
Boring moive, little action, waste of talented actors
|
I thought this movie might be good b/c I like most of Matt Damon's movies but I was greatly disappointed. I had a hard time even finishing the movie. Save your money or at least rent it before you even think about buying this one.
|
B000F7CMRM
|
AEDYFMREUKHL7YTWKUPMJU7YD7VQ
| 1,178,272,690,000 | 6 |
I thought this movie might be good bc I like most of Matt Damon's movies but I was greatly disappointed. I had a hard time even finishing the movie. Save your money or at least rent it before you even think about buying this one.
| 229 | 16,529 |
Syriana (2005)
| 2,017 |
Syriana (Widescreen Edition)
|
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