i hear this is supposed to be one of the best movies of the year... the preview looked great.

i'm reading the book that imdb lists as the "suggestion" for the movie called See No Evil: the true story of a ground soldier in the cia's war on terrorism and enjoying it thus far (just under halfway done) very informative. not sure how much the movie will incorporate from the book, but the preview looked very good anyway.

i will be seeing this opening day, cant wait.

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I can't wait for this movie, specially been a huge fan of the book!! Let's hope for a high quality movie

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I think with Clooney and Soderborough's Section 8 production, and with Clooney having some involvement, it should be pretty damn good. I'm really looking forward to it.

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I saw a commercial for this last night, it looks badass! High quality and very topical.

IMDb Plot Summary: 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. As a career CIA operative (George Clooney) begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to, an up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig). A corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. 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.

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I'm looking forward to this movie too. Seems its only playing at limited theaters right now. Anyone know when it goes into wide release?

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[quote=superdave]I'm looking forward to this movie too. Seems its only playing at limited theaters right now. Anyone know when it goes into wide release?[/quote]

I think Dec 9th

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yep, december 9th. cant wait.

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This movie actually needs to be longer (believe it or not) in order to flesh out the characters better and give a bit more time to fully explain what it has to say. While I really dug the "Traffic" kind of storytelling (big surprise, considering that the director of Syriana wrote Traffic), the story fragments a bit too much in the sense of understanding the character's motives and this is one really densely talkative movie. Dialogue is key in this film, and needs to be paid very close attention to.

It's unfortunate that they couldn't flesh out the Muslim character a bit more, as there's suggestion that there's more going on, but I suspect a lot of it wound up on the cutting room floor. The Prince however (played by the guy who was the doctor on Star Trek Deep Space Nine) is a very underplayed and very effective character.

Also, Clooney's CIA man is pretty naive for a guy that's been in the business as long as it's being implied. While it does manage to convey a certain nobility to his character being a rogue agent, it kind of strains credibility that someone would allow himself to get into that position so easily in the first place.

Good movie, great cast, great acting, but the story needs more time to develop and the film should run longer in order to allow the audience to digest what's being said.

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not suprised that you say that, i had read that they cut a bunch from the movie because of the long running time. in fact they cut out all the scenes of actress michelle moneghan it says on imdb because of the running time.

(without having seen it, knowing i'll like it) here's to the director's cut dvd ;)

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agreed, this needed to be longer. very powerful film though, especially near the end. i just wish they could have explained a few of the sub plots a bit better in order to reveal more of the interconnections that were abundant in the storylines. still, worth your $8.50, definitely

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Great movie, also a must see for 2005. Go see it with friends, it's one of those you want to talk about afterwards...I'm glad they're making movies like this-showing the side of gov't partnered w/business and the bottom line. Not the BEST flick I've seen, but really good-worth seeing and would recommend it to anyone. 8/10

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Robert Baer was the CIA guy behind much of the stories in that film. Gaghan was just on Charlie Rose a few days ago and he talked rather openly about the way this story and film was put together.

You really have got to see this interview to really get a sense of where Gaghan is coming from in this film. There is some pretty freaky stuff he talks about. Billionaires talking about what country in going to have oil problems next(meaning big uprises and other turmoil). The taking down of small airplanes to make it look like an accident.

It's really freaky. If you have PBSYOU it's on there for the next couple days.

I'm going to see this film this week. Maybe a birthday present for myself.

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[QUOTE=mmglobal]Great movie, also a must see for 2005. Go see it with friends, it's one of those you want to talk about afterwards...I'm glad they're making movies like this-showing the side of gov't partnered w/business and the bottom line. Not the BEST flick I've seen, but really good-worth seeing and would recommend it to anyone. 8/10[/QUOTE]

I'd agree.. A must see but imo better suited for DVD than in the theatre. I found a few moments where I wish I could have pressed rewind to hear what they were saying again. Good cast but as many mentioned it could/should have been longer.

While it's quite different - The Constant Gardner is still my fave political thriller in the past few months.

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finally saw it yesterday and i agree with the above that it could have been longer to develop a bit more (directors cut dvd maybe?) but i thought it was a great film... well acted, well tied together, and very interesting to see the way things worked from that perspective. one of the best of the year for me.

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It's a brilliant movie. I admit it's slow, but it takes the same route Traffic did. I happened to pick up See No Evil just after 9/11 (when I was majoring in National Security and attempting to go to the CIA) and the book is full of great incidents that Baer came across. It's sad that this is the actual way our world works and that it will keep moving in this direction. We've let corporate America get the best of us an there's no longer and equilibrium.

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i'm going to see it this weekend, i have been waiting for a while, should be fun

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I just saw it now. I walked out of that theatre totally stunned. Mostly feeling sorry for the people who live over there and have to put up with all this shit that the oil companies put them through. I am definitely going to see it again. Very very real.

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yeah I wish to get the director's cut cuz the movie has lots to say and I hope it opens a few people's eye on why people do what they do when they have no hope etc in life, due to greed.

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Just saw this last weekend. I was lookin forward to it. Sadly I thought it was crap.

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wasnt as good as i hoped either =/ i did enjoy the guy from er's character though

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[QUOTE=res0nat0r;395943]wasnt as good as i hoped either =/ i did enjoy the guy from er's character though[/QUOTE]

his name is dr. doug ross. duhhhh 8)

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[quote=peloquin;396228]his name is dr. doug ross. duhhhh 8)[/quote]

oops, duh i forgot clooney was on er about 20 years ago too. i mean the sheik guy's characer. oops. :lol:

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[QUOTE=res0nat0r;396233]oops, duh i forgot clooney was on er about 20 years ago too. i mean the sheik guy's characer. oops. :lol:[/QUOTE]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

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[quote=res0nat0r;395943]wasnt as good as i hoped either =/ i did enjoy the guy from er's character though[/quote]

You mean the guy from DS9?

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[quote=Lorn;397094]You mean the guy from DS9?[/quote]

oops, lorn you are right.I was thinking Goran Visjnic, oops. Sorry I havent seen this flick in over a year my fault :shock:

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[quote=res0nat0r;397159]oops, lorn you are right.I was thinking Goran Visjnic, oops. Sorry I havent seen this flick in over a year my fault :shock:[/quote]

Hey. I liked DS9. And all the Star Trek shows. ;)

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Horrible movie, I got bored and lost watching it. Too much of the dialog went over my head

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[quote=DancingQueen;397432]Horrible movie, I got bored and lost watching it. Too much of the dialog went over my head[/quote]

Amen sister.

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^^^then i feel for you, the dialogue was only about everything that is going on in this world right now. The movie is to help you see what really goes on behind the scenes, all the palm peddling and backhanded stuff that goes on to help protect the way we live.

Go read the books from the man Clooney plays Bob Baer. He really was a CIA guy and most of the stuff that happened in this movie is REAL.

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^^^ agree with Jeffrey here. If you want action, fo see the Bourne Identity or Mission Impossible. If you want a realistic insight of how not only oil and energy companies profit from chaos in the ME, but also have an idea how this chaos benefits muslim extremists and their recruiting, go see this one. Much more interesting than Munich imo!

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Munich was lame as well.

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^^^ agreed

[quote=jeffrey collins;398866]^^^then i feel for you, the dialogue was only about everything that is going on in this world right now. The movie is to help you see what really goes on behind the scenes, all the palm peddling and backhanded stuff that goes on to help protect the way we live.

Go read the books from the man Clooney plays Bob Baer. He really was a CIA guy and most of the stuff that happened in this movie is REAL.[/quote]

Pffffft, you feel sorry for me because I didnt like a movie? Get a life

I am well aware that these are things happening in the world right now, and because the movie was long, drawn out, and lacking in content that didn't put me to sleep, doesn't mean I am an idiot or blind to the world affairs around me.

If producers in Hollywood or wherever want to make a movie about life in the world today and educate people, they need to have a dialog that that doesn't loose their attention span after 30min in. Look at movies like Schindlers List, Black Hawk Down, and Saving Private Ryan to name a few....those movies were true and told in a way that people paid attention and that my friend is how you make a good movie because if you can't keep people's attention, your issues/story will never be heard.

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Mmmm Black Hawk Down... Good story plus I still get shell shock when I watch it on DVD...

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^^ good flick. Also I think The Thin Red Line is a very under appreciated war movie.

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^Didn't watch that one yet.

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you should check it out, it is very good. focuses more on the soldiers feelings and is alot more introspective than saving private ryan

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Thanks. Will do.

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yep, great movie i liked it very much

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i think i like the thin red line more than saving private ryan. dont get me wrong, SPR is a fuckin amazin movie and stephen spielberg is probably the best director of our generation but i think i seem to be more of an introspecitive guy and the whole soldier narrative going on thru the thin red line hits home with me. plus all of the beautiful footage of the wildlife interspersed with the violence makes me think alot about the actual thoughts and minds of the pour souls who lived through those times just to let my ass goto work everyday and be safe.

watch that flick, listen to the narrative and absorbe the soldier flashbacks and the footage of the world as it is and i think you will come out thinking twice about how fucked up war is and about what people have to go through in this life..

this quote from the movie to me has always been really haunting:

[quote] This great evil. Where does it come from? How'd it steal into the world? What seed, what root did it grow from? Who's doin' this? Who's killin' us? Robbing us of life and light. Mockin' us with the sight of what we might've known. Does our ruin benefit the earth? Does it help the grass to grow, the sun to shine? Is this darkness in you, too? Have you passed to this night? [/quote]You know i think sasha used to spin a tune with a sample of those lyrics above.....

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just watched this. liked it alot although i do agree about lengthening it to develop the characters more.

one thing i was unclear of.. was damons son killed intentionally in the pool for some greater reason?