76
Metascore
40 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversTakes off with the lightning speed of a thriller, the gonzo force of frontline journalism and the emotional wallop of a drama that puts a human face on shocking statistics.
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)Ken TuckerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Ken TuckerA film that transcends its obvious timeliness to say some elemental things about personal loyalty and institutional betrayal.
- 90Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranA fearless and ambitious piece of work, made with equal parts passion and calculation, an unapologetically entertaining major studio release with compelling real-world relevance, a film that takes numerous risks and thrives on them all.
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliIn today's environment, it's a rare thing to find a movie with interesting characters in dense, intelligent storylines, but that's what Syriana offers. It is one of the best films of 2005.
- 80VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyA weighty and deeply intriguing look at the many-tentacled beast that is the international oil industry. Wide-ranging and restlessly probing, Stephen Gaghan's second directorial effort uses the same mosaic storytelling technique as in his Oscar-winning screenplay for "Traffic."
- 80NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenThis is a movie that sticks its political neck out, that throbs with dread, paranoia and outrage, that doesn't coddle the audience by neatly tying things up.
- 80TimeRichard CorlissTimeRichard CorlissNot a conventionally satisfying movie but a kind of illustrated journalism: an engrossing, insider's tour of the world's hottest spots, grandest schemes and most dangerous men.
- 80Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanGiven the large cast, the international hopscotch, and the tantalizing illusion of depth, the movie's tone is "Frontline" meets John le Carré. Compared to the complacence of something like "The Interpreter," it's a regular brain tickler.
- 80The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsGaghan brings in many more players, but edits the film into the lean, propulsive shape of a thriller. That ends up being something of a problem; some sub-plots never fully untangle and characters get lost as Gaghan rushes toward a conclusion that, taken on its own, is the stuff of a slightly hysterical leftie pamphlet.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe character and geographical jumps leave you in a muddle with thinly sketched personalities and confusing plot points. Worse, dialogue dense with nuance and shaded meaning flies by too quickly.