I thought it was pretty good but hard to follow as well. I am not into politics and who's wright and wrong but I thought the movie showed the corruptness of the oil industry, the governments of all the countries involved (including the U.S.), and all the intermediaries involved. It would be naive to believe all of it and it would be just as naive to dismiss it all as propaganda. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. I am not a political analyst or film critique/expert but from what I understood, the older prince was educated in the States and had a vision to make his country a better one and instill a democratic system of goverment and give his people a sense of hope that they sorely lacked. He sought to do this by using the money he made from oil to better the country rather than buy meaningless material possessoins for the royal family. The younger prince meanwhile, was uneducated and seemed only after the wealth and willing to continue to do business with the U.S. which is why they backed him (the U.S. seemed more able to control him as well) and killed the older brother. The movie also sort of sympathized or showed why some of these suicide bombers do what they do. It commented that although it is a terrible thing, there is a reason behind it besides simple hatred to the U.S. Those people have no hope and their futures are so bleak that the religious leaders prey on the youth's hopelessness by convincing them that through their acts they can reaffirm their faith, bring glory, and possibly a better future for their families. I thought Matt Damon's character was also pretty weak and I didn't understand why Clonney's character was rushing to the desert to warn the prince.
I agree, I'm not sure how effective it was as a political message, but I did think the movie was entertaining for the most part. It's pretty obvious it was trying to be political, but the circumstances were a little outrageous IMO. Great analysis on your analogies btw.
I sorta had the same feeling. But then again, when it comes to international politics and American policies, I'm a simpleton. I remember liking the moving and adding to the distrust of the American government.
i'm a dork for responding to a three year old post but the movie is based on the work of a real life CIA agent. so take that for what it worth as far as the political agenda is concerned
