Overview
A gripping exploration of power, oil, and betrayal in the Middle East.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Labyrinthine
- Violence
- Brutal
- paranoid
- intellectual
- unnerving
- focused viewing
- political cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an ambitious, intellectually demanding, and gripping geopolitical thriller, especially for George Clooney's performance and Stephen Gaghan's screenplay, while acknowledging its deliberate complexity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film jumps among Bob Barnes, Bryan Woodman, Bennett Holiday, oil executives, and migrant workers across several countries.
The Connex-Killen merger, the Kazakh oil fields, and Prince Nasir's Chinese contract drive the central conflict.
The CIA, corporations, law firms, and royal authorities manipulate events while the characters struggle to understand the larger design.
The story moves through Texas, Washington, Switzerland, Spain, and the Middle East, mirroring the fractured global oil network.
Films like Syriana, and why
Traffic
Like Syriana, this is an intricate political thriller connecting corporate power, government operations, and international conspiracy through multiple intersecting storylines.
The Constant Gardener
Both films are dense, morally serious geopolitical thrillers focused on oil, clandestine operations, and the human cost of political power.
The Insider
Both use parallel narratives and investigative drama to expose institutional corruption, global capitalism, and hidden political bargains.
Michael Clayton
Both are cerebral conspiracy thrillers about state power, covert violence, and protagonists trapped inside opaque systems.
Movie Details
- Director
- Stephen Gaghan
- Release Date
- 2005-11-23
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (1549)
Cast
- George Clooney
- Matt Damon
- Jeffrey Wright
- Chris Cooper
- Amanda Peet
- William Hurt
- Christopher Plummer
- Alexander Siddig
- Kayvan Novak
- Amr Waked
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Syriana about?
- An intricate geopolitical thriller follows operatives, lawyers, oil executives, royals, and displaced workers through the dangerous machinery of global petroleum power.
- What is Syriana like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Syriana as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as labyrinthine.
- Is Syriana violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Syriana as brutal.
- What did critics think of Syriana?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an ambitious, intellectually demanding, and gripping geopolitical thriller, especially for George Clooney's performance and Stephen Gaghan's screenplay, while acknowledging its deliberate complexity.
- Which films are like Syriana?
- Films with a similar feel include Traffic, The Constant Gardener, The Insider, and Michael Clayton.
- How long is Syriana?
- Syriana runs 128 minutes.
- Where can I watch Syriana?
- In United States, Syriana is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
