Similarly created to the movie Traffic by writer-director Stephen Gaghan, Syriana is a soap opera circling around the world of global oil cartels. It attempts to showcase the wide implications of a societal addiction (which is oil in Syriana) to the business, political, social and personal lives of people. The story kicks off when a merger between two prominent oil companies of the world reveals ethical problems for the lawyer assigned on ensuring that the deal happened (Jeffrey Wright), and global effects beyond what one is able to see; a CIA agent (George Clooney) investigating him and ultimately finds out his true goal and the people he really works for; a brash oil broker (Matt Damon) experiences personal tragedy and partners with a Gulf Prince (Alexander Siddig) who is too ambitious for his own good. The two attempt to build an economy anew, only to discover that they are against powers far beyond their control. On the other hand, a revolutionary Islamic priest lures Pakistani youths to terrorism. And that’s just the beginning. Whether they notice it or not, all of these characters’ fates would be connected to one another, although at times the connections seem tenuous. Burdened by several different storylines, the film almost collapsed on itself in its effort to match with Gaghan’s idealistic vision. Syriana remains to be a basically believable film and its solutions to the problems keep it from crumbling to the ground in the end. No matter what viewers may think, whether they see the movie that goes everywhere to nowhere or an earnest attempt to show everyone some of the world’s major issues, this film deserves to be taken seriously and most likely will be talked about for a long time to come
Good Night and Good Luck uses highlights in history to thoroughly explain our present, when there is a pressing need for an independent and free press. Written by George Clooney with Grant Heslov and directed by the former, it presents a reputable tribute to the journalistic virtue of renowned CBS newscaster Edward R. Murrow, the only newscaster who was brave enough to confront the widespread and dictatorial witch-hunting of Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin in 1953 – 1954. He succeeded and was known as a real truth-seeker, a man who fights against the corruption of governmental and corporate powers. Murrow (David Trahairn) is a realist. He is very much aware of the biased tactics that will be implemented against him. Clooney provides vital backup and support through Murrow’s producer and close friend Fred Friendly, William Paley (Frank Langella), the CBS chief who nervously supports Murrow’s cause even under constant peril of reprisals. This team gives Murrow a menacing but not entirely unafraid trio of broadcasting boldness. The cinematography of Good Night and Good Luck is done by Robert Eswit and vividly recreates the stunning environment of the CBS newsroom and the early days of television. Clooney (who ironically is the son of a newsman himself) proves his skill in directing by using large themes and an appraised ensemble cast, never flying low to simplify ethically complicated material. Good Night and Good Luck is considered to have instantly become a classic, destined for all the praise it so deserves.
Darfur Now was aimed to play a very important part in educating and motivating viewers to get involved in any way possible in bringing the tragic situation in the African land of its namesake to an end. It is a movie that is difficult to watch, but imperative not to turn away from. The documentary is written and directed by Theodore Braun. Running for 98-minutes, it provides crucial facts one must take note while watching the film: Darfur, is a region in western Sudan. About the same size as France, it has a population of six million people and has always been in a critical state since 2003, when non-Arabs staged a rebellion against the Muslim government. With the military forces working together with the Janjaweed (meaning “devils on horseback”), an inhuman and well-planned genocide has taken place and has been responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, with millions more eliminated. After this introduction, the film focuses on six different characters and their role in the fray. The six are namely Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor who is working hard to gather evidence against the Sudanese government; Adam Sterling, a normal but brash American from California who’s furious with the world’s lack of attention to the crisis, marches a campaign to pass legislation and push companies with plans on Sudan to denudate; Pablo Recalde, an altruistic volunteer of the Wes Darfur World Food Program who strives to save lives; Ahmed Mohammad Abakar, the chief sheikh of a camp dedicated to shelter displaced people in Darfur, tries to assemble his own people; a female revolutionary named Hejewa Adam, who trains to go against the Janjaweed; and author and actor Don Cheadle (George Clooney) uses his prestige to boost the public’s awareness of the situation. (The Sudanese government, represented by its smug U.N. ambassador, implicates the West as overreacting and has “over-dramatized” the whole thing.) Some of the six characters’ efforts and goals were successful: Sterling had his bill passed, Recalde’s efforts to get food distributed help save lives, and Ocampo finds enough evidence to file charges against a couple of Sudanese government officials (which was to no avail as the Sudanese refuse to surrender them). Classified as a documentary, Darfur Now comes across as being more of a fictional drama, marvelously filmed and edited. But of course, it’s all very real. As spoken by one of the rebels, “We must be patient until the white people come;” which is a painful statement, but unless that does happen, this story will never have a happy ending.
