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Syriana - George Clooney, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Stephen Gaghan

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Everything is connected.

An adaptation of the Robert Baer memoir See no evil: The true story of a ground soldier in the CIA's war on terrorism.

From writer/director Stephen Gaghan, winner of the Best Screenplay academy Award for Traffic, comes Syriana, a political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry. From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the film's multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power.

Career CIA operative Robert Baer (George Clooney) begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work to which he has devoted his life, up-and-coming oil broker Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with idealistic Gulf prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig). A corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful US oil companies, while across the globe, a disenfranchised Pakistani teenager (Mazhar Munir) falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric. Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.

The title is a geographical term, referring to the Middle East hot spots that have proved so volatile to US security.

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film drama action thriller spy CIA Middle East Syria bomb Iran oil

Persons of interest

George Clooney .... Robert Barnes
Matt Damon .... Bryan Woodman
Amanda Peet .... Julie Woodman
Nicholas Art .... Riley Woodman
Luke Barnett .... Tyler
David Clennon .... Donald Farrish
Chris Cooper .... Jimmy Pope
John Higgins .... Carl
Steven Hinkle .... Max Woodman
Max Minghella .... Robby Baer
William Charles Mitchell .... Bennett Holiday Sr
Tim Blake Nelson .... Danny Dalton
Kaveh Sari .... Ali Naimi
Alexander Siddig .... Prince Nasir
Bahar Soomekh .... Yassi
Mark Strong .... Mussawi
Amr Waked .... Mohammed Sheik Agiza
Jeffrey Wright .... Bennett Holiday
Robert Baer .... Author: See no evil: The true story of a ground soldier in the CIA's war on terrorism
Stephen Gaghan .... Screenwriter
Stephen Gaghan .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Syriana official movie site
Syriana film production notes
Syriana QuickTime movie trailers

Awards and film festivals:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS - Oscars) 2005: Won: Performance by an actor in a supporting role (George Clooney); Nominated: Original screenplay (Stephen Gaghan)
American Film Institute (AFI) 2005: Movie of the year - Official selection
Berlin International Film Festival 2005: Out of competition
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 2005: Nominated: Actor in a supporting role (George Clooney)
Hollywood Foreign press Association (Golden Globes) 2005: Won: Actor In A supporting Role (George Clooney); Nominated: Original Score (Alexandre Desplat)
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2005: Nominated: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (George Clooney)
Writers Guild of America 2005: Nominated: Adapted screenplay (Stephen Gaghan, Robert Baer)

See also Confessions of a dangerous mind
Studios and distributors:

Warner Bros * Roadshow Films

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Syriana is the kind of film that makes you want to bury your head in the sand. The Military-Industrial Complex™ has taken over the world and there's nothing that the person on the street can do about it. In fact, whatever you do, you're probably shoring up the foundations - that bread you bought at the supermarket is made from wheat grown by an agricultural combine using genetically-modified seed purchased made by the same company that sells chemical weapons to The Military-Industrial Complex™. You're stuffed whatever you do. See also Lord of war.