Syriana – 2K Blu-ray Re-release for the film with Clooney and Damon

In his second film as a director, Stephen Gaghan — also the screenwriter of the acclaimed Traffic — constructs an ambitious political thriller that attempts to untangle the turbid relationship between geopolitics, intelligence, and energy interests. The starting point is the autobiographical book by former CIA agent Robert Baer, but the screenplay expands that material, transforming it into a mosaic of intertwined stories spanning the United States and the Middle East.

The story opens with an attack in Tehran and from there branches into a series of parallel narrative trajectories. On one side, we find the economic intrigues of a gigantic American oil company, Connex-Killen, striving to consolidate its power in a wealthy state on the Arabian Peninsula. On the other, political tensions related to the succession to the throne develop: the young crown prince dreams of profound reforms, greater autonomy, and a progressive reduction of American influence.

No film could be more relevant than this

As the different narrative lines converge, espionage, corruption, and diplomatic manipulations emerge. The film strongly suggests an uncomfortable thesis: behind the rhetoric of defending democracy, American foreign policy is often driven by the desire to control energy flows and slow down the economic independence of oil-producing countries.

Gaghan creates a courageous and extremely dense work, perhaps even too much for the time available. The plot is sometimes convoluted, but the strength of the project remains evident. George Clooney's intense performance stands out, while Matt Damon remains more subdued within an ensemble cast for a work never as relevant as it is now.

This Arvitalia re-release of the old Warner publication is technically identical to the one already marketed; it is, in fact, a mere reprint. Analogically shot (Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL) on high-sensitivity 35mm negative with 500 ASA. Nevertheless, viewing the work reveals a too obvious absence of grain, suggesting the idea of a DNR intervention with noise reduction filters. Original format 2.39:1 (1920 x 1080/23.97p).

Despite the 21 years separating this film from its production, it has never been seriously considered for a significant intervention on visual quality. This is confirmed by the presence of the old Microsoft VC-1 encoding on a single-layer BD-25, even with almost 128 minutes of runtime. This magnificent film should be on the list of potential restorations, if not in 4K, at least in 2K with BD-50 and AVC/MPEG-4 encoding. Furthermore, the film is the original American version, with transitions where superimposed English subtitles appear on the image.

We therefore find the Dolby Digital 5.1 channel Italian encoding (640 kbps), barely sufficient to support the narrative between dialogues and effects with little dynamics and depth. The original English track is no better, with the same encoding and similar rendition.

The extras include short interviews with George Clooney and Matt Damon, a making-of on director Stephen Gaghan's research and international filming, a contribution on the film's political themes, three deleted scenes, and the trailer. Subtitles in Italian.