6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Big oil means big money. Very big money. And that fact unleashes corruption that stretches from Houston to Washington to the Mideast and ensnares industrialists, princes, spies, politicos, oilfield laborers and terrorists in a deadly, deceptive web of move and countermove. This lightning-paced, whip-smart action thriller grips your mind and nerves with an intensity that doesn't let go for an instant.
Starring: Kayvan Novak, George Clooney, Amr Waked, Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey WrightDrama | 100% |
Thriller | 37% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Every summer, oil makes the price hike to new highs, making gas station signs seem like scoreboards for a seemingly one-sided game. Oil Companies: $2.70, American Consumers: 0. We complain, of course, and blame the president, blame Congress, blame the Middle East, blame anything and anyone remotely blamable, content to generalize and compartmentalize the dilemma to fit our us vs. them (or is it U.S. vs. them?) mentality. In the meantime, invisible deals are being struck, governments dial up the diplomatic pressure, and the average Joe in his American- made gas-guzzler sits in summer vacation traffic chewing sunflower seeds, unaware of the complex inner workings that turn the lumbering, mechanized devourer that is the oil industry.
Convoy, roll out!
Syriana is a film that utilizes tonality and stylization to set and heighten its moods, and this 1080p VC-1 transfer is capable, for the most part, of handling the film's widely varying atmospheres. The segments set in the U.S. all seem to have a bluish cast that evokes a cold and lifeless bureaucracy, complete with somber offices and poorly-lit corporate boardrooms filled with faces grimacing through drawn and listless skin tones. The Middle East settings show more life, but the feeling is still appropriately subdued. Much of the film has a pulled-back color palette that, while not as extreme as the bleach-bypass contrast of Three Kings, for example, chooses to alternately desaturate and enrich certain hues as each situation requires. Black levels are strong and help create a well-defined image, but the film's whites are either much too hot or, more frequently, unusually dim and grayish. This seems mostly due to directorial intent, however, and it's hard to fault the transfer, which otherwise is adequately sharp and free from any pesky banding, artifacts or DNR issues. Overall, a solid transfer that does what it needs to but doesn't really offer up any "wow, this is HD" moments.
Syriana opens with an almost digitized, loudspeaker broadcast of the Islamic call to prayer before fading to a hush of wind and bringing in a somber, harp-laden theme that fills the sound field with a warm, organic reverb. There is a similar dichotomy present throughout the entirety of this Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, as the score is rich and dynamically full, while certain ambient elements are thin and artificial. When the migrant boys go out to the desert to drink moonshine, for example, the hum and crackling of the power lines seems over-emphasized and out of place. Voices, especially at lower volumes, tend to sound occasionally boxy and compressed. That said, I love Syriana's score. Electronic bass lines throb with subtle LFE presence under shimmering strings, and the soundtrack is always immersive and clear. The rest of the film, however, is hit or miss when it comes to rear channel use. Some scenes are filled with 360-degree sound, while others that should be are firmly oriented in the front channels. Much like the video quality, Syriana's audio is sufficient but not flashy, which is perhaps a good thing, since it allows you to devote your brainpower to deciphering the film's crossword puzzle plot.
A Conversation with George Clooney (SD, 9:11)
This chat with the always charming and well-spoken Mr. Clooney covers a lot of ground in a brief
amount of time, from the challenges of shooting on location and learning Arabic pronunciation, to
the things he learned from Robert Baer, the ex-CIA agent upon which the character of Bob
Barnes is loosely based.
Weaving Reality into Drama: A Filmmaker's Journey (SD, 26:08)
"A Filmmaker's Journey" is no mere tagline, as writer/director Stephen Gaghan really did embark
on a quest for research that took him throughout Europe and the Middle East, where he met
with oil traders, lobbyists, and even the spiritual leader of Hezbollah. This is a compact and
comprehensive feature that documents not only the research process, but also the filming of
Syriana in Morocco and Dubai, among other locations. This is easily the disc's best
supplement, and fans will immediately want to watch this after viewing the film.
A Conversation with Matt Damon (SD, 7:14)
Damon talks about how the film isn't just another "partisan rant," and details some of the
preparation that went into constructing his character, including ample help from consultant
Stephen MacSearraigh.
Make a Change, Make a Difference (SD, 11:19)
Director Stephen Gaghan and others discuss America's addiction to oil, the essential role that oil
has played in the development of the U.S., and the relevance of the film's themes to the
corporate malfeasances that occur so regularly today.
Deleted Scenes (SD, 6:00)
Three deleted scenes are included, two of which contain some interesting material from the cut
character of Bob Barnes' wife.
Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:17)
Between Syriana, Blood Diamond, and a host of others, the Big Issue film is on a bit of a streak in Hollywood, and Syriana stands as a perfect example of how to do the genre with intelligence and style. This is a film to watch with a group, as discussion is an inevitable consequence of Syriana's tricky plot and divisive themes. Though this Blu-ray disc could be a bit more fleshed out in the AV department, and while I would really love a commentary track by director Stephen Gaghan—who really is brilliant—I have no qualms in highly recommending Syriana to any viewers who are willing to put on their thinking caps and ponder the amorphous world of the oil trade.
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