FILM REVIEW: Syriana

[pryor15]

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No mention of the swimming pools?

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that was the strobe light portion of the experience (see my post just below the review), so i didn't get to see that as well as i should have. plus, i forgot.

[Leaky Eye]

I mean the fact that so many scenes in the movie take place around swimming pools, or sometimes fountains. When my wife pointed that out to me I pretty much rethought the entire movie around that.

[pryor15]

[ QUOTE ]
I mean the fact that so many scenes in the movie take place around swimming pools, or sometimes fountains. When my wife pointed that out to me I pretty much rethought the entire movie around that.

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huh, i hadn't thought of that. do you think that's to symbolize the importance of oil, that its as crucial as water?

[Riverman]

I thought the movie was very good. Unusually thoughful and complex for a Hollywood film, and not too preachy. For me the most interesting character was the lawyer who was investigating on behalf of Connex. I thought his character was quite realistic and well-acted.

[OtisTheMarsupial]

I thought the movie was interesting and well acted but the film had problems. On a scale of 1-5 I give it a 4.

First, the storyline was too complex. They should have cut a few more characters or at least pruned their screen time down a bit.

Second, the main themes needed to be emphasized more. There was a strong father-son relationship theme that never got developed. There was an almost obvious, "we're all soldiers" theme that needed to be pointed out a bit more. The humanity, the emotion, the character development was only hinted at.

Third, the only well-delivered message was that oil politics are corrupt, complex, and confusing. Which, doesn't exactly inspire action. This is the type of movie, like Traffic, that has a lot of potential to change public opinion and go down in history. But since the message wasn't clear and obvious, that opportunity was lost. And that's a shame.

But, like I said, it's well worth watching.