Indeed, "Syriana" has something to do with spies, but agents and spies are definitely not the subject of this movie. The CIA agent in the Middle East in the film is only one of the four protagonists. The nomination of the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the role of the agent also illustrates this point. In addition to the absence of a traditional agent protagonist, this film also lacks all the elements mentioned above. On the contrary, this film is full of interest struggles between politicians and large corporate groups, and full of open or secret games between different interest groups. Agents are nothing but tools and means to achieve this purpose. The real message that the director wants to convey to the audience is that in the Middle East, the world’s main source of energy, in this region that is influenced by traditional Arab culture and is completely different from the West, in these countries lacking democratic politics, the game of interests between big powers is happening every day. Through a variety of light or dark forms. The wave of globalization driven by giant multinational corporations has harmed the interests of the people at the bottom of society, caused the polarization of wealth, and made the Middle East a hotbed for the growth of terrorism. It is probably the director's intention to let the audience see the dark side of politics hidden under the surface.
For this purpose, the director set up four main lines. The four protagonists are: an agent who failed to perform a mission, an oil business analyst who became an economic adviser to the Saudi prince because of the accidental death of his son, and one because he suspected the existence of a Chinese company in an M&A transaction. A lawyer ordered to investigate illegal activities, a Middle Eastern teenager who was fired because of a company merger and finally became a terrorist. The director who once filmed "Ocean's Eleven" used his best multi-line narrative technique to alternately tell the stories of the four protagonists, and it was only in the end that their destinies came together. However, I think this narrative technique is not considered successful in "Syriana", because in the first half of the film, there is basically no connection between the characters. I feel as if I am watching an unedited, four movies. The content of the videotape was dizzy and confused. Such a narrative structure may be difficult to attract the audience.
In order to contrast with the theme, the film adopts a realistic style of shooting techniques. Many shots are edited that do not conform to the processing methods of traditional movies, giving people an abrupt feeling, as if they are fragments of news images. The most amazing thing is that when the prince’s convoy was hit by an American missile, the footage was cut halfway through the explosion. This is the first time I have seen this editing technique.
As for the actor's performance, I can only say that it is quite satisfactory, but I don't think it is outstanding. Because the narrative technique of the four main lines at the same time determines that all actors have limited roles, there can be too many opportunities to shine.
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