A SYRIANA CHEAT SHEET:
I trekked out to Santa Monica for an 11:15 a.m. showing of "Syriana" last week, and it wasn’t just for the $2 discount. Since I have a weakness for older, whiskered, and slightly rotund men, I couldn’t miss seeing a pudgy George Clooney. One is never sure if these men are retired academics with a penchant for undergraduates or if they’re spooks still not ready to come in from the cold.
In "Syriana" we have Clooney playing the "maverick" C.I.A. agent Bob Barnes, who is near the end of his career. Then there’s the economist (Matt Damon), the Pakistani kid, the black lawyer, the good Prince of an oil-rich emirate, the C.I.A., the oil tycoons, and the lawyers. The first five provide a complex tapestry, often working at cross purposes. The last three do their best to act as if they run the world. By the end of the movie, I was convinced that they do.
Bennet Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) is a black attorney with a prestigious Washington law firm known for issuing one line invoices to the Saudi government for "thirty-five million dollars." He’s not yet a partner, and has no personal life. He’s assigned the due diligence on a merger between two mega-oil corporations. Will the black man be sacrificed? Clue: he plays the game well enough to tell his client, good old boy, Texas tycoon, Jimmy Pope (Chris Cooper), "We have to have the illusion of due diligence," and, even more chillingly, "We need another body."
"Call me Jimmy," the capitalist says, shaking his hand. Then, they have barbeque.
Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon), is an economist advising Prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig). Nasir is the youngest son , and although the most qualified, the least likely to succeed his father. His fatal flaw is that he’s an ideologue who won’t cooperate with American oil interests.
At the other end of the spectrum is a young, unemployed Pakistani laborer named Wasim (Mazhar Munir) who is wooed by radical Islamists (one of whom looked suspiciously like Spike Lee, but that would be one twist too many).
The peripheral players all manage to fit neatly into their archetypes: the C.I.A. decides to sacrifice Clooney. Although he has few friends in Washington, Clooney still has the right stuff and corners the big shot lawyer played by Christopher Plummer, who has one of the best lines in the movie: "In Washington, you’re innocent until you’re investigated."
The oil tycoons all hunt and fish and reminisce about their youthful days wildcatting the oil fields of Texas. Nobody messed with them then, and just because the oil is now located in someone else’s backyard halfway around the world, they don’t understand why they should change their tactics.
The most fascinating story is Wasim’s. He’s poor, uneducated and unemployed. He’s treated like an oil company pawn, and a Saudi pawn. The political rhetoric of the Islamic recruiter is couched in religious terms, so it apparently doesn’t occur to Wasim that he is their pawn, as well. The madrasa offers peace and focus in a complex world. I understood the lure of regimentation and obedience not only for Wasim, but for the thousands of unemployed youth in our own country who sign up and ship out to Iraq when few other choices are available to them.
"Syriana" is not an easy movie. It demands that you pay attention. There will be loose ends. Go with a friend. Hash it out over dinner. Print out my cheat sheet and take it with you.
