Syriana

I saw the movie Syriana when it first came out, but I'm just getting around to posting about it now. This is an unusual movie in that it doesn't have a traditional plot or sequential storyline. Rather, it's a collection of events that are tangentially related, but in important ways. The film depicts the lives of people from the most powerful in Washington and the middle east, to the most lowly oil field workers. It illustrates how, as in Chaos theory, a seemingly insignificant person or action can have consequences in many places. Everything is connected.
The cast is terrific, and includes another stellar performance by George Clooney, who is rapidly becoming one of the best actor-director-producers. He's also one of the few that has not shied away from provocative political commentary.
There is political intrigue, with fine performances by Jeffrey Wright as an ambitious Washington attorney, and Chris Cooper as the head of a Texas-based oil company. Congress is involved in shady dealmaking with oil companies and foreign governments. Democracy in the middle east? In Syriana, an intelligent and political-reform-minded prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig) becomes a target when he grants oil rights to a Chinese company over an American competitor. Democracy is fine unless it gets in the way of (our) commerce.
Matt Damon provides a fine portrayal of an energy trader that engages in business with Prince Nasir, but with honesty and integrity, where most are just trying to take advantage of the prince and his country.
It is hard to note standout characters or stories in this movie because there are so many, but here are two that I found most compelling: 1) George Clooney as Bob, a dedicated CIA field agent that is betrayed by the agency. He's been nothing but a pawn throughout his career, and he realizes that too late. 2) Mazhar Munir as the young Pakistani oil field worker, Wasim. He gets laid off and is treated like scum by his employer. He's lost and disillusioned in a foreign land. The only place he's treated with dignity and comfort is in a local madrassa, which is where is is recruited into the jihadist fold. Although Wasim was not an ardent religious zealot, it's easy to see how he could be taken in. What I found interesting about these two stories in particular is their similarity. Both Bob the CIA agent and Wasim the lowly laborer were convinced to do the dirty work of others. Both thought they were doing good, but in reality they were merely tools furthering the agendas of more powerful and unscrupulous people.
This is a thought-provoking and compelling movie. Although it is fiction, it's easy to believe that it cleaves pretty close to reality. Go see it.
And while we're at it...