Oil drives greed in Oscar-winning Traffic screenwriter Stephen Gaghan's labyrinthine sophomore directorial effort that traces the corruption of the global oil industry from the backrooms of Washington, D.C., to the petroleum-rich fields of the Middle East. Based in part on the writings of former CIA case officer Robert Baer, Syriana combines multiple storylines to explore the complexities that befall a proposed merger between two U.S. oil giants. Reform-minded Gulf country prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig) is in favor of making his nation more self-sufficient rather than U.S.-reliant, and his money-minded Western connections couldn't be less pleased. Before settling into a cushy desk job for the remainder of his career, CIA agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) is sent on one last assignment -- to assassinate Prince Nasir and reinstate U.S. ties in the oil-rich region. Though his loyalty dictates that Barnes carry out his current mission despite lingering doubts of a previous blunder, his mission goes horribly awry when his field contact goes turncoat and Barnes becomes a CIA scapegoat. Meanwhile, up-and-coming Washington attorney Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) attempts to walk a fine line in overseeing a tenuous merger between two oil giants that's plagued with shady business dealings. Hotshot energy analyst Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) is in talks to form a lucrative partnership with Prince Nasir, though the death of his son during a party at the prince's estate makes him question his loyalty to business over family. Back in Washington, D.C., Bennet's boss Dean Whiting attempts to undermine Prince Nasir's attempts to make his country less reliant on the U.S. dollar by planting the seeds of dissonance between the progressive prince and his money-minded younger brother Prince Meshal (Akbar Kurtha). Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Genre: Drama
- Category Political Thriller, Docudrama, Unglamorized Spy Film
- Theme: Political Corruption, Assassination Plots, Political Unrest, Office Politics, Terrorism
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run Time: 02 hr 08 min
- Language: English, Spanish, French
- Subtitle Language: French, English, Spanish
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: Blu-ray
- Release Date: October 10, 2006
- Lead Actor: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, William Hurt
- Supporting Actor: Amanda Peet, Tim Blake Nelson, Mark Strong, Nicholas Reese Art, Tom McCarthy, Fritz Michel, Sonnell Dadral, Robert Foxworth, Shahid Ahmed, Max Minghella, Jamey Sheridan, David Clennon, Akbar Kurtha, Peter Gerety, Viola Davis, William C. Mitchell, Nicky Henson, Nadim Sawalha, Jayne Atkinson, Christopher Plummer, Alexander Siddig, Mazhar Munir
- Director: Stephen Gaghan
awards
- Awards: Golden Globe Awards (1), Academy Awards (1)
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor, 2005, George Clooney
- Winner: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, 2005, George Clooney
- Nominations: Academy Awards (1), Golden Globe Awards (1)
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Original Score, 2005, Alexandre Desplat
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay, 2005, Stephen Gaghan
