Watched Syriana last night and I must say I was mighty disappointed. Not because the film was badly done or anything. What bothered me about it was how well it was done. A cast of some considerable note, though almost all were men, a little offputting, but by no means a problem for me. People like to watch attractive people they've seen before in a film, myself included, can't fault anyone for that.

No, what got me was how masterfully the film gives you, the viewer, insight into some hidden world of Oilmen of the year, or into the inner workings of large multinational companies, CIA espionage, illegal? weapons trade, and international politics. Yeah, those pseudo insights. Sure some of the film might well represent reality and just how corrupt things are. But at the same time, if things are as bad as they are made out to be, there isn't a damn thing any one of us common folk can do.

It is for that reason that I take issue with the film, for giving the illusion of mastery over its narrative or type of narrative (spy thriller, political intrigue) to which none of us would ever be privy. The implication being that because we are in on it and get it, we are somehow relieved of our duty to act, or that we are so enthralled in the majesty of the film and hype surrounding it, that we figure all we have to do is talk and people will listen and the world will change for the better simply because we spoke up and out.

It's a pretty negative stance to take, but I can't see anything positive about a narrative that's been taken from Three Days of the Condor and updated to include sly references to the Occident and a more multinational approach to things. In fact, there is a scene in Syriana that is almost an exact copy from Three Days of the Condor, the study break in scene. Moreover, there is the persecuted innocent CIA agent thread to the narrative, common to both films.

Then there is the striking similarity between Syriana and The Constant Gardener. While The Constant Gardener came out around the same time or after Syriana, it was based on a book that's been published for a while, so I sense a little copying there too. I know I know, nothing is original anymore, it's all be done, but I can't help but feel cheated.

While oil is obviously a topic of great relevance, I'd expect a little more originality, even if the whole point is to point out how globally corrupt everyone really is.

Dunno what I was expecting from the film really, nothing much I suppose, but I was definitely left wanting more than I got.