Movie Review: Syriana

I suppose it is about time to write my review of Syriana (considering I watched it...hmmm... almost three weeks ago!).

Ideologically, it was awful! It does a great job of making the US government, along with the entire oil industry, look atrocious. The bottom line is, crisis makes the world go 'round, or, at the very least, is good for the politicians and big business owners in the United States, so it is in our best interest to keep the Middle East in constant turmoil. Nothing makes this more obvious that a quote near the beginning of the movie, "Corruption? Corruption is our protection! Corruption keeps us safe and warm! Corruption... is why we win!"

As a work of propaganda, it was beautifully done. I knew, going into it, that it was going to be a left-leaning movie, but I still left, feeling like the suicide bombers came out on top. They were the ones who were wronged and they were the ones that stuck to what they believed. There is something about self-sacrifice in this self-serving culture that appeals to the better part of our humanity.

Despite my disagreement with the politics of Syriana, I really enjoyed watching it. I loved all the Middle Eastern settings (as well as the many familiar DC shots) and, as someone interested in the language, I was mezmorized by the Arabic conversations interfused throughout the dialogue! The fact that I could pick out words and phrases that I recognized was very exciting to me. =)

Would I recommend it? Well, it depends... There is quite a bit of language and some of the images are extremely disturbing (to the point where I had to close my eyes). If it is a topic, you're interested in, it is worth it to see the liberal perspective as portrayed by the entertainment industry.