Did anyone understand "Syriana"?

[MsAnthropy]

Arabs, oil, and the CIA, that's all I got out of it. Even most of the movie reviews I read just gave up trying to explain it.

[fishnfla]

1. I think that was intentional

I havent seen the movie, but I understand that nobody, not even the protagonist knew the whole thing.

*according to one review I read, it was the directors plan

[Shakespeare]

2. Well....

...I had no problem following all the narratives, and don't understand why all the reviewers were bitching that it was too confusing. :shrug:

Is there something specific that puzzled you?

[MsAnthropy]

3. Who was the guy pulling out Clooney's fingernails and why?

[Shakespeare]

4. He was.....

...the assassin the agency had sent him to contract with to assassinate the prince. Apparently typical of the political/religious complications in the middle east (and not unlike the consequences of our own creation, Bin Laden), the assassin was no longer friendly to the U.S. and was now anti-U.S./pro-Hezbollah. They first met at the waterfront when Clooney arrived in Beirut (to discuss the hit), remember?

He tortured Clooney to try to find out who wanted the hit on the prince and why.

[MsAnthropy]

5. NOW I got it

Thanks so much! I watched most of that scene through my fingers so it never made sense to me!

[Yavin4]

6. The Point of that Particular Character

was to show how realtionships shift in the cloak and dagger world. How "informants" or "allies" cannot be trusted entirely. See Chalabi as a reference.

[Shakespeare]

7. Yup. n/t

[Shine]

8. Yeah, you're right. It was definitely complex.

I read in an interview with Clooney that in the scene where he's being tortured, he actually got so badly injured, at one point he had spinal fluid leaking out of his NOSE!! He's still dealing with the lasting effects, via headaches and memory loss. Jeez, that sucks.

[MsAnthropy]

9. That scene was excruciating to watch!

Ugh, it still causes flashbacks

[Shine]

10. yes, I did the fingers-over-the-eyes thing, too. Yucky, yucky.

I had to keep reminding myself it was only a movie.