A dense, multi-layered, fast-moving and at times quite bewildering political thriller, this second film from writer/director Stephen Gaghan is not an easy movie to take in first-time round. The plot strands seem decidedly disparate, but stick with it as it gradually builds into a searing indictment of the global oil industry.
Released in 2005, the acting here is high-calibre. George Clooney - who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best supporting actor as CIA officer Bob Barnes - is excellent, while Matt Damon (as energy analyst Bryan Woodman) and Christopher Plummer (as Dean Whiting, the head of a top law firm) are also impressive. But it's screenwriter Gaghan who takes the honours for creating such a worthy and powerful film.