Can someone explain Syriana to me, please?

Yes, that's what I got out of the film. It parallels the selling of weaponry, some of it not internationally legal, to Iraq by the Reagan Administration. Of course, Iran was the evil at the time, even though Sadaam was no less evil then as he was at the time of the invasion.
The film is unnecessarily convoluted in my opinion but George Clooney's performance is dynamite.

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I didn't have much trouble understanding this, although I was prepared for a spy movie. But surprise! it's great. (I sense that there was a difference of understanding between American and non-American, or non-western people, I don't know)

Here is a full explanation done by a fellow called Dalati in imdb I contributed some humble opinions under the name RobertWooo

JB

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JB, wow, as someone said on that forum, You are Awesome.

Now I feel like watching the film again.

I didn't realize that Nasir was the oldest son. I thought he was the bright younger brother, with a great mind but no standing to ever be the ruler unless his father deviated from tradition.

You're saying that wasn't it, right?

I also did not get about the Pakistani connection. I didn't appreciate the Arabic language thing. I just accepted that as bad treatment of workers, because they are immigrants.

Was his Hezbollah friend the Nazrallah type character?

And was the guy who was torturing him supposed to be Zarqawi? (the man who was recently killed)

The child dying was a parallel to the assassination plot on the Emir? They hadn't intended to kill the Emir in the pool, the pool problem was just an accident, though it was visible in that the Emir's cameras were malfunctioning at the same time...?

So in the end, Matt Damon (I forget his character's name) chose family life over the oil riches... ?

That was what made it all makes sense, then. (is how I now see it)

Hey, thank you very much!

(It's amazing that I understood the movie at all, given that I thought you were Dalati. I'm going back to read your comments, now. Thank you so much for the link.)

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ConsiderThis wrote:

JB, wow, as someone said on that forum, You are Awesome.

Now I feel like watching the film again.

I didn't realize that Nasir was the oldest son. I thought he was the bright younger brother, with a great mind but no standing to ever be the ruler unless his father deviated from tradition.

You're saying that wasn't it, right?

I also did not get about the Pakistani connection. I didn't appreciate the Arabic language thing. I just accepted that as bad treatment of workers, because they are immigrants.

Was his Hezbollah friend the Nazrallah type character?

And was the guy who was torturing him supposed to be Zarqawi? (the man who was recently killed)

The child dying was a parallel to the assassination plot on the Emir? They hadn't intended to kill the Emir in the pool, the pool problem was just an accident, though it was visible in that the Emir's cameras were malfunctioning at the same time...?

So in the end, Matt Damon (I forget his character's name) chose family life over the oil riches... ?

That was what made it all makes sense, then. (is how I now see it)

Hey, thank you very much!

(It's amazing that I understood the movie at all, given that I thought you were Dalati. I'm going back to read your comments, now. Thank you so much for the link.)

I cannot answer all of your questions since it's always a bit hard for a non-native English speakers to view a movie with English subtitles...

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I didn't realize that Nasir was the oldest son. I thought he was the bright younger brother, with a great mind but no standing to ever be the ruler unless his father deviated from tradition.

He was rejected and later even killed, only because of he posed a threat to American's power in his country: remember the American official Dean Whitng having a parternistic talk with Nasir's younger brother? and Nasir's conversation with Matt that he wanted to give deal to the highest Chinese bid but one call from the president stopped all? and Nasir's preaching to his fellow people about "it's always wrong that a country with 5 percent of world's population and 50 percent of world's military"? Dunno whether you will agree with him but it's how to understand the movie.

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Was his Hezbollah friend the Nazrallah type character?

And was the guy who was torturing him supposed to be Zarqawi? (the man who was recently killed)

Hizbollah only acted as Clooney's friend here, very old friend with old connection (Clooney was a highly experienced agent, he spoke Farsi fluently and, had a lot of local friends)
It was because of Hizbollah that Clooney got close to Mussawi.
Yes Mussawi, that was the man who tortured Clooney.
But what a mess?!
Let me explain.
In one of the first scenes, Clooney assassinated two Iranians, remeber that? I don't know why but after that assassination Clooney as an agent was suspended and placed under investigation (maybe it's a gamble between powers and individual turns out to be sacrifice) And Mussawi, at first Clooney wanted him to kill Prince Nasir, since Nasir was regarded as "terrorist", remember that scene with Clooney and Middle-eastern talking on the shore?
But, the fact turns out to be that, Mussawi was actually an Iranian agent! So that came the torture.
(And it was Hizbollah who save Clooney eventually, "You are all our friends")

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So in the end, Matt Damon (I forget his character's name) chose family life over the oil riches... ?

I forgot too. (still used to the name "Jason Bourne", haha)
Yes. But you know, it was because Nasir, whom he regarded as the hope of a new arab, was brutally killed along with family with a weapon launching four miles off, in this regional power struggle, while, as movie suggested, in the meantime some oil entrepreneurs are celebrating their oilmanship.
For Matt, it was the death of an idealist, as I said in imdb, there is a striking similarity between Matt and Lawrence of Arabia. (Though the degrees of persuasion are incompatible)

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The child dying was a parallel to the assassination plot on the Emir? They hadn't intended to kill the Emir in the pool, the pool problem was just an accident, though it was visible in that the Emir's cameras were malfunctioning at the same time...?

There is a big dispute over that, I said it's simply a electrical leak. Emir had nothing to do with that. But some said a leak cannot electrify the whole pool...I don't know, it involves some technical knowledge.
But assassination plot? Unthinkable. How the assassinator came to realize that old decrepit Emir would have a nice swim that night while all the others just stood along the banks and had fun watching it?

Wow, hope not any spelling mistakes :wink:

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Hi, thanks for answering like this. Smile

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He was rejected and later even killed, only because of he posed a threat to American's power in his country: remember the American official Dean Whitng having a parternistic talk with Nasir's younger brother? and Nasir's conversation with Matt that he wanted to give deal to the highest Chinese bid but one call from the president stopped all? and Nasir's preaching to his fellow people about "it's always wrong that a country with 5 percent of world's population and 50 percent of world's military"? Dunno whether you will agree with him but it's how to understand the movie.

I did get that Nasir thought these things (which happen to be things I think) but I still thought he was younger, and that because he was younger he could never be given the power in the country because it would go to his older brother... that's what I thought as I watched the movie....

I like your view of the end, when Matt Damon goes back to his family, because of the death of idealism. But I also like my idea that he saw the value of his family, that he made up his mind not to lose it... in contrast to the Pakistani man who had loved the mountains but moved away to earn money.

Thank you very much for your help in understanding this movie.

I'm going to rent it again, maybe next week end.

your spelling was great.

Only, I think it was Zarqawi. Moussawi was that man we tried here in the states as a 9/11 terrorist who hadn't quite made it onto the planes.

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Lightwizard wrote:

Yes, that's what I got out of the film. It parallels the selling of weaponry, some of it not internationally legal, to Iraq by the Reagan Administration. Of course, Iran was the evil at the time, even though Sadaam was no less evil then as he was at the time of the invasion.
The film is unnecessarily convoluted in my opinion but George Clooney's performance is dynamite.

Hi, I don't want to miss responding to you. Smile

Reagan, I forget about Reagan.

Now that I understand the film a little better, I even more agree with you about Clooney's performance.

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You are welcome. Smile

ConsiderThis wrote:

Only, I think it was Zarqawi. Moussawi was that man we tried here in the states as a 9/11 terrorist who hadn't quite made it onto the planes.

But, you mean you think the man in the movie who tortured Clooney was Zarqawi? Well you can check it out when you rent it again. But a point has to be raised that, in this movie, details are fictional or imaginary: there may not be an assassination like that done by US government, no name of the Emirate was mentioned, no such world's fifth largest company as "Connex-Killen".THe movie just showed what was reasonable, possible, or similar to the real world.

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J-B wrote:

You are welcome.

ConsiderThis wrote:

Only, I think it was Zarqawi. Moussawi was that man we tried here in the states as a 9/11 terrorist who hadn't quite made it onto the planes.

But, you mean you think the man in the movie who tortured Clooney was Zarqawi? Well you can check it out when you rent it again. But a point has to be raised that, in this movie, details are fictional or imaginary: there may not be an assassination like that done by US government, no name of the Emirate was mentioned, no such world's fifth largest company as "Connex-Killen".THe movie just showed what was reasonable, possible, or similar to the real world.

Oh, yesl. Yes, I agree.

I just thought Zarqawi was who had suggested the character. I didn't think it was the real Zarqawi.... I didn't write very clearly, sorry.

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That's right :wink:

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I think Mussawi in the movie was only a, freelancer assassin, with strong regional connections, at least publicly. But covertly he paid allegiance to Iran, "U.S.'s Archenemy".

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I really want to see this film -- goign to save this thread.

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Can someone explain Syriana to me, please?

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