This is the sophomore directing effort of screenwriter Stephen Gaghan who received praise for penning 2000’s critical favorite “Traffic”. Unique in that the film follows multiple sets of characters with rarely overlapping story lines, “Syriana” (and “Traffic” before it) has the power to show an issue from many different sides. This type of multi-perspective narration is used to ill-effect here, merely producing non-sequitors and promoting the highly redundant message of abounding evil.

In Steven Soderbergh’s hands, “Traffic” was an entertaining success, in Gaghan’s (whose only previous directing experience was with 2002’s critical and commercial flop “Abandon”) “Syriana” manages to say nothing of consequence.

The inexperienced director brutalized his cast, reducing the supposed undiscovered genius of Hollywood, Jeffrey Wright, to the equivalent of “The Tree” in the 5th grade play, the genuinely talented Matt Damon to a weightless sheep, and George Clooney to a confused clown.

There is nothing coherent in “Syriana”. It deserves no special allowance because it wants to be liked or because it should have been the waving standard for the Los Angeles left. The film is a hypnotic charlatan, indescribably sleepy and full of hot air.

A major disappointment, “Syriana” makes us doubt the reliability of a good trailer and it makes us doubt in Hollywood as a whole. If the American film industry believes it can keep feeding us confusing or contrived stories wrapped in high quality film or in big names they will continue to bite their nails over declining numbers at the box office. Forget all about piracy and first make a film you would be proud to have somebody want to steal from you. Be inspired and be diligent, this wasn’t enough.

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