Syriana (2005)

Director:

Stephen Gaghan

Writers (WGA):

Robert Baer (book) (suggestion)
Stephen Gaghan (written by)

Release Date:

9 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Everything is connected

Plot:

A politically-charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved and affected by it.

Plot Keywords:

Oil | CIA | Oil Company | Pakistani | Immigrant

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Kayvan Novak	...	Arash
George Clooney	...	Bob Barnes
Amr Waked	...	Mohammed Sheik Agiza
Christopher Plummer	...	Dean Whiting
Jeffrey Wright	...	Bennett Holiday
Chris Cooper	...	Jimmy Pope
Robert Foxworth	...	Tommy Barton
Nicky Henson	...	Sydney Hewitt
Nicholas Art	...	Riley Woodman
Matt Damon	...	Bryan Woodman
Amanda Peet	...	Julie Woodman
Steven Hinkle	...	Max Woodman
Daisy Tormé	...	Rebecca
Peter Gerety	...	Leland "Lee" Janus
Richard Lintern	...	Bryan's Boss
Jocelyn Quivrin	...	Vincent
Mazhar Munir	...	Wasim Khan
Shahid Ahmed	...	Saleem Ahmed Khan
Bikram Singh Bhamra	...	Pakistani Translator
Roger Yuan	...	Chinese Engineer
Jayne Atkinson	...	Division Chief
Thomas McCarthy	...	Fred Franks (as Tom McCarthy)
Jamey Sheridan	...	Terry
Randall Boffman	...	Distinguished Gentleman #1
Tony French	...	Distinguished Gentleman #2
Max Minghella	...	Robby Barnes
Katie Foster	...	Nervous Daughter
Nadim Sawalha	...	Emir Hamed Al-Subaai
Alexander Siddig	...	Prince Nasir Al-Subaai
Ozzie Yue	...	Chinese Oil Executive
Akbar Kurtha	...	Prince Meshal Al-Subaai
Sonnell Dadral	...	Farooq (as Sonell Dadral)
Jon Lee Anderson	...	Himself
Othman Bin Hendi	...	Arab Businessman
Bashar Atiyat	...	Nasir's Aide (as Bashar H. Atiyat)
Ali Al Amine	...	Older Kid at Pool
William Charles Mitchell	...	Bennett Holiday Sr. (as William C. Mitchell)
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Danny Dalton
Ahmed Aa Mohammed	...	Abu Khalifa
Ahmed Ayoub	...	Pakistani Teenager #1
Mohammed Asad Khan	...	Pakistani Teenager #2
Atta Mohammed Saleh	...	Old Man
Aziz Zacca	...	Policeman
David Clennon	...	Donald
Omar Mostafa	...	The Cleric
Saïd Amadis	...	Reza Reyhani
David J. Manners	...	Egypt Bureau Chief
Jamil Jabbar	...	Supplicant
Badria Timimi	...	Nasir's Wife
William Hurt	...	Stan
Mohamed Majd	...	Said Hossein Hashimi (as Mohammed Majd)
Mark Strong	...	Mussawi
Driss Roukhe	...	Guard
Katherine Hoskins Mackey	...	Paralegal
Linda E. Williams	...	Paralegal
Susan Allenback	...	Paralegal #1 (as Susan Allenbach)
William L. Thomas	...	Paralegal #2
El Mahjoub Raji	...	Hashimi's Man
Michael Stone Forrest	...	CIA Security Officer #1
Robert Baer	...	CIA Security Officer #2 (as Bob Baer)
Fritz Michel	...	Hotel Security Guard
Bob Fajkowski	...	Secretary of Defense
Jeff Baker	...	Tommy's Lawyer
Tarik Tamzali	...	Nasir's Secretary
Mitesh Soni	...	Martyr
Susan Duvall	...	Assistant at CIA (as Tootsie Duvall)
Nabeel Noman	...	Bedouin Leader
Ryan Murphy	...	Drone Tech
Will McCormack	...	Willy
Donna Mitchell	...	Pat Janus
James Plannette	...	Connex Functionary
Michael Allinson	...	Sir David
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Cutler	...	Lawyer (uncredited)
Viola Davis	...	CIA Chairwoman (uncredited)
Bruce Allen Dawson	...	Oil Executive (uncredited)
Paul Fahrenkopf	...	Oil Baron (uncredited)
Anna George	...	Reza's Sister (uncredited)
William Gerad Jones	...	Kid in Diner Scene (uncredited)
Wendy Kush	...	Witness (uncredited)
Kirk Lambert	...	CIA Bureau Chief (uncredited)
Charles McClelland	...	Oil Executive (uncredited)
Kerry Meushaw	...	CIA Agent (uncredited)
David Michie	...	Home Seal Security Guard (voice) (uncredited)
J. Matthew Miller	...	Student (uncredited)
Lauren Minite	...	Restaurant Girl (uncredited)
Johnny Pitrelli	...	U.S. Marshal (uncredited)
Bahar Soomekh	...	Yassi (uncredited)
Alexander von Roon	...	Bloomberg Reporter (uncredited)
Don Whatley	...	Bystander (uncredited)

Directed by
Stephen Gaghan

Writing credits (WGA)
Robert Baer		(book "See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism") (suggestion)
Stephen Gaghan		(written by)

Produced by
Sarah Bradshaw	....	associate producer
George Clooney	....	executive producer
Ben Cosgrove	....	executive producer
Jennifer Fox	....	producer
Georgia Kacandes	....	producer
Elizabeth Kirkscey	....	associate producer
Shannon Lail	....	associate producer
Michael Nozik	....	producer
Jeff Skoll	....	executive producer
Tim Smythe	....	facilitating producer: Dubai
Steven Soderbergh	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Robert Elswit		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tim Squyres

Casting by
Avy Kaufman
Lora Kennedy
Lucinda Syson

Production Design by
Dan Weil

Art Direction by
Alan Hook
Laurent Ott

Set Decoration by
Olivia Bloch-Lainé
Jan Pascale

Costume Design by
Louise Frogley

Makeup Department
Candice Banks	....	makeup artist
Christine Beveridge	....	makeup department head
Christine Beveridge	....	special makeup effects artist (as Chrissie Beveridge)
Dan Crawley	....	special makeup effects artist
Kay Georgiou	....	hair department head
Charmaine Henninger	....	hair stylist
Mary Kim	....	makeup effects production supervisor
Mary Kim	....	prosthetics creator
Jim Knell	....	production photographer: Captive Audience Productions
Marilyn MacDonald	....	makeup artist
Mark Nieman	....	silicone prosthetic technician
Waldo Sanchez	....	hair department head
Petra Schaumann	....	hair stylist
Brian Sipe	....	special makeup supervisor
Janice Tunnell	....	additional makeup artist
Keith VanderLaan	....	prosthetics creator
Keith VanderLaan	....	special makeup effects creator: Captive Audience Productions
Sherri Bramlett	....	additional hair stylist (uncredited)
James Parr	....	special makeup effects technician (uncredited)

Production Management
Zakaria Alaoui	....	production supervisor
Sarah Bradshaw	....	unit production manager
Omar Chraibi	....	unit manager
Simon Crook	....	location unit manager
Frédéric Delaloye	....	assistant unit manager
Christopher Granier-Deferre	....	production manager: Geneva
Kevin Jenkins	....	unit manager
Georgia Kacandes	....	unit production manager
Francine Lusser	....	unit manager (segment)
Karyn McCarthy	....	unit production manager: U.S.
Gérard Monier	....	location production manager
Mark Mostyn	....	production manager
Serge Musy	....	assistant set manager
Mark Scoon	....	executive in charge of production
Will Weiske	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Trey Batchelor	....	first assistant director: second unit
Tarik Ait Ben Ali	....	third assistant director: overseas
Peter Bennett	....	first assistant director: second unit
Julian Brain	....	second second assistant director: USA (as Julian M. Brain)
Darwin Brooks	....	third assistant director: overseas
Kate Carver	....	third assistant director: second unit
David Catalano	....	second second assistant director: New York
Yann Mari Faget	....	second assistant director: Morocco
Richard Goodwin	....	second second assistant director: overseas
Ahmed Hatimi	....	first assistant director: Morocco
Tudor Jones	....	additional second assistant director
Martin Kenzie	....	second unit director
Pierre Lacourt	....	third assistant director: Geneva
Stephanie Lovell	....	additional second second assistant director
Cian O'Clery	....	third assistant director: Dubai
David Pinkus	....	assistant director: additional photography
David Pinkus	....	second assistant director: UK
Eric A. Pot	....	second second assistant director: USA
Alison C. Rosa	....	second assistant director (as Alison Rosa)
Sonia Rossier	....	crowds assistant director
Antonin Schopfer	....	trainee assistant director
Henry Tomlinson	....	second assistant director: second unit
Adrian Toynton	....	second assistant director
Simon Warnock	....	first assistant director
Rami Yasin	....	first assistant director: Dubai
Tobias Asam	....	third assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Ray Barrett	....	construction manager
Mark Bentley	....	set dresser
Erik Boring	....	set dresser
Alex Brandenburg	....	set dresser
Carl Catanese	....	set buyer
Jana Chovancova	....	art department coordinator
June Connon	....	chargehand stand-by props
Michael Davis	....	construction coordinator
Louise Del Araujo	....	lead
Jack Dyer	....	stagehand
Daran Fulham	....	art director: Dubai
Ginny Galloway	....	art department coordinator: USA
Susanna Glattly	....	scenic charge
Jeffrey Pratt Gordon	....	on-set decorator
Eric Hunsaker	....	set dresser
Billy 'Jilly Bones' Jones	....	scenic: Baltimore
Ted Lubonovich II	....	construction gang boss
Jim Magdaleno	....	storyboard artist
Andrew Menzies	....	art director: Baltimore/Washington
Ron Napier	....	head foreman
Ted Nolan	....	construction gang boss
Marion Picard	....	assistant set decorator
Lionel Pouchard	....	storyboard artist
Amin Rharda	....	props buyer
Benoît Sanson	....	assistant set decorator
Tanja Schaffenrath	....	assistant property master: Dubai
Philip Schneider	....	property master
Chris Snyder	....	construction coordinator: reshoots
Michele Tedlis	....	art department coordinator: additional photography
Christian Tobin	....	props
Jennifer Tufaro	....	art production assistant
E. Parker Webb	....	set dresser
Tiffany Zappulla	....	set decoration buyer
Abdenabi Izlaguen	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Larry Blake	....	sound re-recording mixer
Larry Blake	....	supervising sound editor
Derek Casari	....	foley engineer
Julie Feiner	....	sound editor
Dawn Fintor	....	foley artist
Carl Fischer	....	boom operator
Mick Gormaley	....	assistant sound editor
Ben Greaves	....	second boom operator
Petur Hliddal	....	sound mixer
Vanessa Lapato	....	dialogue editor
Vanessa Lapato	....	sound editor
Derek Marcil	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeena M. Phelps	....	sound editor (as Jeena Phelps)
Eric Raber	....	digital sound transfer engineer
Michael Rayle	....	cable puller
Jeff Sawyer	....	sound editor
Joe Schiff	....	assistant sound editor
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist
Greg Zimmerman	....	adr recordist

Special Effects by
Hank Atterbury	....	special effects coordinator: US
Everett Byrom III	....	special effects coordinator: Texas
William Catania	....	special effects
Chris Hampton	....	special effects technician
Trevor Neighbour	....	special effects foreman: overseas
Stefano Pepin	....	special effects tecnician
Thomas Turnbull	....	special effects foreman
Matt Veale	....	assistant special effects technician: overseas
Trevor Wood	....	special effects coordinator: overseas

Visual Effects by
Oliver Arnold	....	lighting technical director
Timur 'Taron' Baysal	....	visual effects
Christian Bloch	....	digital artist: Eden FX
Andrea D'Amico	....	visual effects executive producer: Eden FX
Eric Durst	....	visual effects supervisor
Andrew Edwards	....	Inferno artist
Derry Frost	....	director of production: Amalgamated Pixels
Spence Fuller	....	digital effects artist
John F. Gross	....	visual effects supervisor: Eden FX
Timothy Heys-Cerchio	....	motion control operator
Erik Liles	....	compositing supervisor
Michael Meagher	....	visual effects producer (as Tony Meagher)
Rob Meyers	....	visual effects
Scott Michelson	....	visual effects executive producer
Roger Mocenigo	....	digital compositor: Amalgamated Pixels
Michael Morreale	....	executive producer: Amalgamated Pixels Inc.
David R. Morton	....	digital artist
Jeremy Oddo	....	visual effects
Phillip Palousek	....	visual effects coordinator: Amalgamated Pixels Inc.
Chris Payne	....	compositor
Eddie Robison	....	digital effects artist
Gregory S. Scribner	....	digital artist
Martha Soehendra	....	digital compositor
Katie Spinelli	....	visual effects coordinator (as Katie Eyster)
Colin Strause	....	visual effects supervisor
Greg Strause	....	visual effects supervisor
Wilson Tang	....	digital restoration
Chris Wells	....	CG supervisor: Hydraulx
Yoshiya Yamada	....	modeling supervisor
Chris B. Schnitzer	....	visual effects production supervisor: Warner Bros. (uncredited)

Stunts
Bruce Cain	....	stunts
Steve Dent	....	stunt coordinator
David Garrick	....	stunts
Michael Luckeroth	....	precision driver
Ron Oakley	....	stunt coordinator
Ron Oakley	....	stunts: Dubai
Domonkos Pardanyi	....	stunts
Matthew Sampson	....	stunts
Andy Smart	....	stunt double
Andy Smart	....	stunts
C.C. Smiff	....	stunts (as Neil Smith)
Peter White	....	stunts
Len Woodcock	....	stunts (as Lenny Woodcock)
Rick Kain	....	precision driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alfred Ainsworth	....	video assist operator
Colin Anderson	....	Steadicam operator
Colin Anderson	....	camera operator
Simon Baechler	....	second video assistant: Geneva
Chris Bangma	....	technician: Libra remote head
Michael Bauman	....	gaffer: USA
Jonathan Beck	....	additional focus puller
Mike Bonnaud	....	best boy electric
Joey Bruce	....	rigging electrician: Maryland
Jasmine Yuen Carrucan	....	second assistant camera
Clint Covey	....	best boy grip: Dubai
Lamont Crawford	....	key grip: New York
Adam Dale	....	aerial director of photography
Paul Daley	....	unit gaffer
Paul Daley	....	unit gaffer
Thomas M. Dangcil	....	electrician: USA
Will Dearborn	....	second assistant camera
Claudio Del Gobbo	....	dolly grip
Massimiliano Dessena	....	best boy grip
Stefano Di Pasquali	....	grip
François Duhamel	....	still photographer
Kate Filby	....	camera operator: "b" camera, second unit
Kate Filby	....	clapper loader
Doriano Forti	....	grip
Claudio Frollano	....	electrician
Bryan Gilbert	....	grip
Will Humphris	....	second assistant camera
Barry Idoine	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Michael Kenner	....	key grip
Martin Kenzie	....	director of photography: second unit
David Kirman	....	video assist operator: Morocco
Tim Kossa	....	additional rigging electrician
Jeff Kunkel	....	dolly grip
Paul Lambiase	....	grip: Los Angeles
Thomas Loizeaux	....	camera operator
Oliver Loncraine	....	focus puller: second unit
Ray Meere	....	assistant camera
Tommaso Mele	....	key grip
Christopher Murphy	....	24 frame video operator
Charlie Newberry	....	film loader: USA
Giorgio Pezzotti	....	grip
Michael Pinkey	....	camera operator: re-shoots
James Plannette	....	gaffer
David Presley	....	video assist operator
Mariana Sánchez de Antuñano	....	assistant camera
Adam Drew Schwartz	....	assistant camera
Angel M. Sepulveda	....	rigging electrician
Cristiano Sergioli	....	grip truck
Julian Sternthal	....	grip: Maryland
Gregor Tavenner	....	second camera focus
Brett Tyler	....	rigging electrician
Mark Walpole	....	second assistant camera
Glen Wilson	....	still photographer
Mike Wilson	....	rigging electrician
Francesco Zaccaria	....	assistant chief lighting
Kelly Clear	....	chief lighting technician: pick-up shots (uncredited)
Tim Hennessy	....	additional camera loader (uncredited)
Heather Page	....	additional photographer: Texas (uncredited)

Casting Department
Todd Feldman	....	extras casting associate
Deanna Gallucio	....	extras casting assistant: New York
Luis Garcia	....	casting assistant
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Juliette Ménager	....	casting: France
Laura Neal	....	extras casting assistant
Sonia Rossier	....	extras casting assistant: Geneva
Mandy Sprinkel	....	extras casting
Amie Stephenson	....	casting assistant
John Strawbridge	....	casting associate
Kelly Hunt	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Abdelkrim Akallach	....	crowd wardrobe supervisor
Johnetta Boone	....	costumer
John Casey	....	costume supervisor
Gabriel DellaVecchia	....	wardrobe production assistant
Michele Forsythe	....	set costumer
Otmane Khammari	....	costume assistant
Deborah Latham	....	costumer
Mara Majorowicz	....	set costumer: Baltimore/Washington D.C.
Marina Marit	....	key set costumer
Nina Padovano	....	costumer
Garet Reilly	....	costumer
Richard Schoen	....	key costumer
Dana Schondelmeyer	....	assistant costume designer
Senna Shanti	....	costumer
Barnaby Smith	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Ron Barr	....	digital intermediate editor
Steve Calalang	....	dailies colorist
Michael T. Forrest	....	on-line editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Sorin Ariel Iarovici	....	assistant editor
Abazar Khayami	....	post-production assistant
Ryan Murphy	....	first assistant editor
Stephen Nakamura	....	digital film colorist
Jessica Kumai Scott	....	editorial production assistant
Yoram Tal	....	on-line editor
Bill Daly	....	post-production executive (uncredited)

Music Department
Jean-Pascal Beintus	....	orchestrator
Bryan Clements	....	scoring crew
Mark Eshelman	....	scoring crew
Jivan Gasparyan	....	musician: duduk player
Mark Graham	....	music librarian
Greg Loskorn	....	scoring technician
Adam Michalak	....	score recordist
Liza Richardson	....	music consultant
Peter Rotter	....	music contractor
Dennis S. Sands	....	music scoring mixer
Andrew Shulman	....	musician: cello soloist
Steven L. Smith	....	music preparation
Nick Vidar	....	music editor
Nick Vidar	....	music programmer

Transportation Department
Khalid Ameskane	....	transportation captain
Ali Bakkioui	....	transportation coordinator
Roy Clarke	....	transportation captain
Redouane Fihi	....	transportation
Louise Hills	....	assistant transportation coordinator: Dubai
Graham Kelly	....	action vehicle supervisor: boats, aircraft and cars
Michael Luckeroth	....	transportation coordinator
Boris Olomi	....	picture vehicle technician
Chris J. Smith	....	picture vehicle technician

Other crew
Youssef Abagourram	....	assistant location manager
Adil Abdelwahab	....	assistant location manager
Kirby Adams	....	location accountant
Samia Adnan	....	dialogue coach
Kate Amer	....	production coordinator
John Arbuckle	....	assistant marine coordinator
Luke Avery	....	production assistant
Clint Bailey	....	boat supervisor: Morocco
Daren Bailey	....	marine supervisor: Morocco (as Darren Bailey)
Joel Bailey	....	boat supervisor: Morocco
Luke Barnett	....	stand-in
Jody Beaudin	....	location accountant: Geneva
Mohamed Benhmamane	....	location scout
Ralph Bertelle	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Charles Bodycomb	....	armorer: Morroco and Dubai
Karl Brown	....	artist personal protection
Brinton Bryan	....	key set production assistant: additional photography
Shannon Burke	....	consultant
Tom J. Carlisle	....	production assistant: New York
Doug Carter	....	production assistant
Ayesha Chagla	....	production assistant: Dubai
Leah Chalk	....	health and safety
S. Todd Christensen	....	location manager
Tora Chung	....	assistant production coordinator: re-shoots
Alissa Collins	....	assistant location manager
Amanda Confavreux	....	production manager: Dubai unit
Brian Cooper	....	assistant production office coordinator
Ian Creed	....	marine coordinator: overseas
Clare Cunningham	....	assistant accountant
Mary Cybulski	....	script supervisor
Tom Dames	....	assistant accountant
Louise DeCordoba	....	financial controller
Anthony DeFrancesco	....	production assistant: art department
Melissa Demino	....	production assistant
Michael Dennehy	....	accounting clerk
Stephanie Dölker	....	production coordinator: Geneva
Guy Drayton	....	safety diver: Morocco
Cristiano D'Urso	....	accounting assistant
Jake Edmonds	....	health and safety coordinator
Mehdi El Atlassi	....	production assistant
Hicham El Ghorfi	....	production assistant
Caprice Ericson	....	assistant location manager
Evelyn S. Farkas	....	set medic
Jordan Brendan Finnegan	....	set production assistant: Los Angeles
McCord Fitzsimmons	....	production assistant
Tom Forbes	....	production secretary
Robbie Friedmann	....	location manager: Texas
Steven Fulton	....	production assistant: additional photography
Joel Goldes	....	dialect coach
Simone Goodridge	....	key production coordinator
Cleve Gray	....	stand-in
Vanessa Grayson	....	utility stand-in
Raf Green	....	assistant to director
John David Gunkle	....	location assistant: Morocco
Lisa Hagenmeyer	....	assistant location manager
Peter Harcourt	....	safety diver: Morocco (as Peter Hardcourt)
Rob Harris	....	unit publicist
John Henry	....	production assistant: New York
Dan Hillsdon	....	assistant accountant
Sarah Hood	....	production assistant: preparation, UK
Richard Hooper	....	supervising armorer
Mark Jacyszyn	....	production supervisor: Captive Audience Prod.
Charles 'Man' Johnson	....	film runner (as Man Johnson)
Richard Keeshan	....	office production assistant: additional photography, New York
Aymen Khalifa	....	cultural consultant
Donald Kilgore	....	production assistant
Laura King	....	set medic
Mike King	....	location manager: New York
Elizabeth Kirkscey	....	script supervisor: second unit
Khadja Koulla	....	production coordinator
Dan Krovich	....	production assistant
Ashifa Lalani	....	location accountant
Emily Lascelles	....	production coordinator: Morocco and Dubai
John Latenser V	....	location manager
Matthew Lee	....	production secretary
James Linville	....	first assistant accountant
Myriam Loukili	....	accountant
Harvey Lowry	....	director of operations: Captive Audience Productions
Elizabeth MacSwan	....	set production assistant
Daniel F. Malone	....	marine coordinator: USA
Joseph Martin	....	location scout
Peter Martorano	....	location manager: re-shoots
Darren Maynard	....	production assistant
Peter McClue	....	safety diver: Morocco
Maureen McEvoy	....	set production assistant
Gavin McKenzie	....	computer and video playback technician: Useful Companies
Gil McKinney	....	set production assistant
Christian McWilliams	....	location scout
Chris Menke	....	production secretary
Steve Mortimore	....	location scout: Spain
Lee Murphy	....	boat supervisor: Morocco
Nigel Nally	....	production secretary: Morocco
Ruth Nicol	....	unit nurse
Matthew Dillon Noonan	....	location production assistant
Matthew H. O'Connor	....	assistant marine coordinator: Baltimore and Washington D.C. (as Matt O'Connor)
Brian M. O'Neill	....	location manager: re-shoots
Rhys Owen	....	digital playback technician
Lance Palmer	....	boat supervisor: Morocco
Patrick Tendai Pfupajena	....	additional production assistant: Washington D.C.
Edward Poveda	....	payroll accountant
Jonathan Reich	....	location scout: Washington, DC
Mona Saker	....	foreign language coordinator
Michael Sharp	....	key location manager
Dave Shaw	....	dive safety supervisor: Morocco
Mike Sime	....	playback video operator
Keleigh Slaight	....	assistant to director
Joanna Slennett	....	assistant coordinator
Ed Symon	....	production runner
Heather Thomas-Hughes	....	unit nurse
Kevin Trehy	....	production executive
Catherine Tyler	....	set runner
Sara-Jane Valentine	....	computer and video coordinator: Useful Companies
Karen Wacker	....	assistant production office coordinator: Texas
Derek Wade	....	production assistant
Steven Wargo	....	key craft services: New York
Troy Waters	....	marine coordinator
John Burton West	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
Marc Wolff	....	aerial coordinator
Marc Wolff	....	specialist pilot
Rehya Young	....	assistant location manager
Terrence B. Zinn	....	key set production assistant: additional photography
Denise A. Beale	....	production assistant (uncredited)
John Doty	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)
• Participant Productions (in association with)
• Section Eight
• 4M (as 4M Productions)
• MID Foundation

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Karo Premiere (2006) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2006) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Village Films (2006) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2006) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2006) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2006) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A. (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (2006) (Greece) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (HD-DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (HD-DVD)

Special Effects

• Amalgamated Pixels (visual effects)
• Eden FX (visual effects)
• Hydraulx (visual effects) (as HY*DRAU*LX)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Tomkats Catering  catering

Also Known As:

See No Evil (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Urdu | Arabic | Persian | French | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:MA | Norway:15 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | France:U | Germany:12 | Brazil:14 | Sweden:15 | India:UA | Philippines:R-13 | Hungary:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:U | Spain:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Michelle Monaghan originally had a more substantial role in the film, but when screening audiences reacted negatively to the long running time, her sub-plot was removed, similar to what happened to the actress on the film Constantine (2005).

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The missiles that Bob sold to the Iranians are Russian Surface-to-Air missiles, and the words visible on the side of the missile are Russian. However, only the terrorist calls them US-made. All we know is that they were sold by a US operative.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Arash: Bobby, where have you been?

Movie Connections:

References "Seinfeld" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Church Scene

An Exhausting Tour of the Many Faces of Corruption Around Oil

In "Syriana," writer/director Stephen Gaghan uses the busy style of "Crash" and "Amores Perros" to illustrate the complex geopolitics behind oil. Each sector--regulators, "intelligence", lobbyists, grease-the-wheel-ers and cogs-in-the-wheel-ers, in the network of greed, idealism, self-interest, sophistication and naiveté, is represented by a different character followed through the movie to bring them together, directly or indirectly, into the climax.

This technique to coordinate a huge ensemble of captivating character actors woven tightly together in a complex story is helped enormously by Robert Elswit's ever-moving camera shots as visually and sound edited by Tim Squyres, who had some experience with overlapping dialog and movement in a more literal upstairs/downstairs on Robert Altman's "Gosford Park." Alexandre Desplat's music adds to the tense mood.

The variegation that Gaghan presents is almost staggering, even more ethically complicated than a Graham Greene Cold War noir. This is the first film I've seen that illustrates the diversity of clashing Islamic cultures and interests, despite that I couldn't keep their interests or motives all quite straight. Though the English subtitles (which are commendably outlined in black for unusual legibility) wipe out some of the distinctions, we can infer that Iranians are speaking Farsi, Pakistanis' Urdu and others speaking Arabic, all with varying fluency and mutual cultural comprehension, let alone manipulators who can speak anything besides their native tongues. We've seen immigrants and guest workers in films critical of Western countries, but not the resentment-brewing conditions of badly treated non-citizens in the oil-rich Persian Gulf states, like the fictional one here which looks a lot like Dubai or Brunei, where clusters of modern skyscrapers contrast with Bedouin goat herders. It does help for background on the fascinating side plot of the radicalized young Arabs to see "Paradise Now" about Palestinian terrorists to explain particular details of their training.

While each character is specifically set within a believable home and family setting, some are painted with too easy and broad strokes. While Alexander Siddig seems to have the monopoly on naively idealistic Arabs, as his similar character in "Kingdom of Heaven" against another Crusades, history is littered with the interim, modernizing liberal tragically caught between powerful forces. (Though the proliferation of Western-educated Arab intellectuals in movies is beginning to sound like all those Japanese generals in World War II movies who went to USC or whatever; at least he went to Oxford and not Harvard.)

Matt Damon's un-Bourne-like energy analyst just sounds simplistic even when he's truth-telling, but we also see that he's already slid down the slippery slope of ethics in the crossing of his personal and professional lives. That so many of the oil and gas executives have Texas accents (superb Chris Cooper, Tim Blake Nelson, Robert Foxworth) does seem to say that the decades of business and political corruption there, as documented in Robert Caro's biography of LBJ, have simply been extended to a global scale.

The film is also unusual in focusing on the role of lawyers negotiating the deals between companies and governments. While Christopher Plummer's Ivy League senior partner type has been seen as a shadowy force in countless paranoid thrillers, Jeffrey Wright is completely unpredictable and tightly wound, though the point of his relationship with his cynical alcoholic father isn't exactly clear except maybe as his conscience. We see before our eyes he goes from, as his mentor says, "a sheep into a lion."

Most films have prosecutors like David Clennon's U.S. attorney as a hero against corruption, instead of being chillingly dismissed as "trust fund lawyers." But the script is so full of such epigrams, like "In this town, you're only innocent until you're investigated," that one character calls another on issuing them too brightly.

While from the beginning I couldn't quite follow all the machinations around George Clooney's character, he is wonderful at transforming from his usual Cary Grant suave to harried, dedicated, mid-level bureaucrat who literally won't toe the Company line in a dangerous hierarchy that's shown to be a bit more competent than in real life, that reminded me both in the gut and guts of Russell Crowe's Wigand in the tobacco wars in "The Insider." It recalls how benign corrupt spooks looked in their personal lives, as there's much conversation here about houses, cars and college tuition. Indirectly, the film implicitly shows the dangers to Valerie Plame from her outing as a CIA operative, as families and personal connections are constantly used as threats and bargaining chips.

Significantly, there is not a single mention amidst all these Mideast chicaneries, plots and plans of the Zionist entity, proving that pro or anti-Israel policies are smoke screens around the main draw -- oil.

Movie-wise, these characters seem a lot like the gangsters and their conseglieres in "The Godfather" carving up Cuba and drug rights, let alone Gordon Gekko extolling "Greed is good" as the ultimate ideology, and fits right in with this year's other geo-political thrillers "The Constant Gardener" and "Lord of War," and those weren't even about natural resources. It works better than the re-make of "The Manchurian Candidate" because even though the focal point is a fictional country the issues are real, not science fiction.

So does this make you ready to get out of your car and onto the train? Because until then, we'll still need lots of that oil from the Middle East.