After seeing Syriana 2 or 3 months ago I was surprised I hadn't heard much about it, solid watch.
It's a flawed film. The problem with it is narratively, all the stories gain impact and the narrative gains strength from eliminating George Clooney's character. Unfortunately, the basis for Syriana were the Robert Baer books "See No Evil" and "Sleeping With The Devil" in which CIA Agent Bob Baer describes his career as a case officer in the South Asia station of the CIA as well as his dealings with Saudi Arabia. In Syriana, Bob Baer is played by George Clooney. Stephen Gaghan was much more interested in portraying the lives around the CIA's involvement in Saudi oil while Bob Baer was more interested in telling you why the CIA fucked up the Middle East. No easy compromise there. Still, the script was nominated for an oscar and George Clooney won for the role I have just described as supernumerary to the plot, so there you go.