Syriana poster

Syriana (2005)

Film · 2h 8m · Rated R

Drama, Thriller

Multiple storylines converge in a gritty, cerebral drama about the dangerous global oil industry.

Suspenseful. A full-attention watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is devastating.

Not on a US subscription service as of Oct 29, 2026.

Syriana parents guide

Of what we could confirm, nothing runs past an R: strong violence and some strong language.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
None noted
Gore
Light gore
Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence
Strong violence
Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity
None flagged
It is rated R, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.
Language
Moderate
Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Syriana scary?
No. Syriana is not a scary watch.
How gory is Syriana?
Light gore and strong violence.
What is Syriana rated, and is it OK for kids?
Strong violence and some strong language. The R is earned, so not for kids.

What is Syriana about?

The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman, a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

It leaves the ending open to interpretation.

Cast and crew

Directed byStephen Gaghan
StarringGeorge Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, Amanda Peet, William Hurt

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.