Syriana--A Review

By Justin Fencsak

From the guy who brought you Good Night and Good Luck as well as starring in ER and Batman and Robin comes Syriana, a tale of corruption, revenge, and murder set around the world in the Middle East and America. Starring a cast of well-knowns, including Matt Damon, Amanda Peet, William Hurt, and George Clooney as the main character, Syriana tells the story of Connex-Killen, a fictional oil company planning to open a new oil rig somewhere in the Holy Land, despite protest from anti-religious locals and the American public. Sound familiar? This is just like recent times, with oil prices near record highs and tension in the Middle East getting worse. Tensions soon arise as the movie progresses, with tense moments between American workers and the jihadists as well as corruption and murder.

After watching this movie, I think it is one of the best movies of 2005, with a terrific all-star cast, especially George Clooney as the beard-wearing Canadian who's also a radical Muslim. Not since Spy Game has there been an action-packed, hard-boiled political thriller as much as Syriana.

Coming soon: A review of another hit dvd movie.