Syriana

Shame on you for not knowing who these two actors are!

Let's make this simple. I saw Syriana today with my gf and my little sisters. I thought it was an excellent movie. It has two of my favorite actors: Jefferey Wright, Alexander Siddig (from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!). These gentlemen are often overlooked, but are some of the best actors working. Even the more "Hollywood" actors knocked the ball out of the park, so to speak: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Amanda Peet, Chris Cooper. Excellent, Excellent. And don't forget Mazhar Munir, who puts a disturbingly human touch on a suicide bomber.

Sigh. It was a lenghty and dense film. It doesn't have an immediate payoff, until you start to think about it and put the pieces back together afterwards. I thought it would be more heavy-handed, and even pedantic. I think it was a lot more subdued than people give it credit for. I also think they do a great side of showing both sides to virtually every issue. I guess some of the problem lies with the fact that some sides you don't want to see humanized because you disagree with it so.

I didn't mind seeing it in the theatre. It's a good movie to rent, although there are certain subtilities in the acting that come across better on a bigger screen than the tv.

But that's just my take.