Syriana
A young lawyer at a powerful D.C. law firm must navigate corporate greed and political pressure to secure a massive oil merger, even as its consequences threaten global stability.
“Everything is connected.”
Synopsis
Set against the backdrop of the Middle Eastern oil industry, this tense drama interweaves multiple storylines. Bennett Holiday, an American lawyer tasked with overseeing a questionable merger between oil companies, navigates a complex web of interests. Bryan Woodman, an energy analyst based in Switzerland, faces both personal loss and new opportunities during a visit to Arabian royalty. At the same time, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes investigates an assassination plot with troubling and unexpected origins.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 340+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Tim SquyresShot by Robert ElswitScored by Alexandre DesplatDesigned by Dan WeilSound by Larry BlakeCostumes by Louise FrogleyStunts by Steve DentVFX by Eric Durst
Box Office
2005 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.9× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$94.0M
US & Canada: $50.8M — 54% of worldwide · International: $43.1M (46%)
Opening weekend: $179K — 0% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $179K — 0% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 5 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Syrianade
- (English)Syriana
- (Bulgarian)Сириана
Release dates around the world4 countries · showhide
- CanadaNov 23, 2005
- United StatesNov 23, 2005
- TaiwanJan 27, 2006
- ArgentinaFeb 9, 2006
Companies
Community tags
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Cast & Crew
340 unique people credited
Top billed cast
George Clooney
as Bob Barnes
Matt Damon
as Bryan Woodman
Amanda Peet
as Julie Woodman
Kayvan Novak
as Arash
Amr Waked
as Mohammed Sheik Agiza
Christopher Plummer
as Dean Whiting
Jeffrey Wright
as Bennett Holiday
Chris Cooper
as Jimmy Pope
Robert Foxworth
as Tommy Barton
Nicky Henson
as Sydney Hewitt
Nicholas Art
as Riley Woodman
Steven Hinkle
as Max Woodman
Supporting cast
90Daisy Torme
as Rebecca
Peter Gerety
as Leland Janus
Richard Lintern
as Bryan's Boss
Jocelyn Quivrin
as Vincent
Mazhar Munir
as Wasim Khan
Shahid Ahmed
as Saleem Ahmed Khan
Bikram Singh Bhamra
as Pakistani Translator
Roger Yuan
as Chinese Engineer
Jayne Atkinson
as Division Chief
Tom Mccarthy Nm0565336
as Fred Franks
Jamey Sheridan
as Terry
Randall Boffman
as Distinguished Gentleman #1
Tony French
as Distinguished Gentleman #2
Max Minghella
as Robby Barnes
Katie Foster
as Nervous Daughter
Nadim Sawalha
as Emir Hamed Al-Subaai
Alexander Siddig
as Prince Nasir Al-Subaai
Ozzie Yue
as Chinese Oil Executive
Akbar Kurtha
as Prince Meshal Al-Subaai
Sonnell Dadral
as Farooq
Jon Lee Anderson
as Self
Othman Bin Hendi
as Arab Businessman
Bashar Atiyat
as Nasir's Aide
Ali Al Amine
as Older Kid at Pool
William Charles Mitchell
as Bennett Holiday Sr.
Tim Blake Nelson
as Danny Dalton
Ahmed Aa Mohammed
as Abu Khalifa
Ahmed Ayoub
as Pakistani Teenager #1
Mohammed Asad Khan
as Pakistani Teenager #2
Atta Mohammed Saleh
as Old Man
Aziz Zacca
as Policeman
David Clennon
as Donald
Omar Mostafa
as The Cleric
Said Amadis
as Reza Reyhani
David J Manners
as Egypt Bureau Chief
Jamil Jabbar
as Supplicant
Badria Timimi
as Nasir's Wife
William Hurt
as Stan
Mohamed Majd
as Said Hossein Hashimi
Mark Strong
as Mussawi
Driss Roukhe
as Guard
Katherine Hoskins Mackey
as Paralegal
Linda E Williams
as Paralegal
Susan Allenback
as Paralegal #1
William L Thomas
as Paralegal #2
El Mahjoub Raji
as Hashimi's Man
Michael Stone Forrest
as CIA Security Officer #1
Robert Baer
as CIA Security Officer #2
Fritz Michel
as Hotel Security Guard
Bob Fajkowski
as Secretary of Defense
Jeff Baker
as Tommy's Lawyer
Tarik Tamzali
as Nasir's Secretary
Mitesh Soni
as Martyr
Susan Duvall
as Assistant at CIA
Nabeel Noman
as Bedouin Leader
Ryan Murphy
as Drone Tech
Will Mccormack
as Willy
Donna Mitchell
as Pat Janus
Jim Plannette
as Connex Functionary
Michael Allinson
as Sir David
Brian Eric Alexander
as Waiter
Tex Allen
as CIA Division Supervisor
Sammy Barnes
as Committee Member
Matt Cannon
as Student
Tom Cutler
as Lawyer
Viola Davis
as CIA Chairwoman
Bruce Allen Dawson
as Oil Executive
Jeff Elmore
as CIA Bureau Chief
Paul Fahrenkopf
as Oil Baron
Alan Gates
as Bar Patron
Tyler Gatton
as Churchgoer
Anna George
as Reza's Sister
Donald Imm
as Uniformed Secret Service Agent
Wendy Kush
as Witness
Kirk Lambert
as CIA Bureau Chief
Charles Mcclelland
as Oil Executive
Kerry Meushaw
as CIA Agent
David Michie
as Home Seal Security Guard
Lauren Minite
as Restaurant Girl
Mike Monroe
as Lawyer
Andres Perez Molina
as Yacht Dinner Guest
Vito Pietanza
as Hotel Waiter
Johnny Pitrelli
as U.S. Marshal
Elena Rosa
as CIA Operations Specialist
Susan Halsey Singer
as Mother
Bahar Soomekh
as Yassi
Sally Spaide
as CIA Agent
Alexander Von Roon
as Bloomberg Reporter
Don Whatley
as Bystander
Harold E Whitfield
as Sheik of the Royal Family
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
12Andrea D Amico
visual effects executive producer: Eden FX (uncredited)
Ben Cosgrove
executive producer
Elizabeth Kirkscey
associate producer
George Clooney
executive producer, Producer
Georgia Kacandes
Producer, Producers
Jeff Skoll
executive producer
Jennifer Fox
Producer
Jennifer Fox Nm0289048
Producer, Producers
Michael Nozik
Producer, Producers
Sarah Bradshaw
associate producer
Shannon Lail
associate producer
Steven Soderbergh
executive producer
Other crew
230Said Errifaai
action vehicle assistant: Morocco
Greg Campbell
action vehicles coordinator: Morocco
Ahmed Benjlil
action vehicles: finder, Morocco
Adam Dale
aerial director of photography: second aerial unit
Charles Bodycomb
armorer: Morroco and Dubai (uncredited)
Anthony Defrancesco
art department assistant: Baltimore & Washington D.C. (as Anthony Defrancesco)
Del Rosario Andronico Jr
Art Directors (uncredited)
Rachid Quiat
Art Directors (uncredited)
Ilde Di Benedetto
assistant art director: Dubai
Mike Bonnaud
assistant chief lighting technician: USA (as Michael Bonnaud)
Amine Benkhayi
assistant costume designer: key costumer
Mounir Badia
assistant location manager
Parents Guide
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