Robert Baer Movies

Sure nuclear missiles may cause unprecedented destruction and devastation, but in this documentary by filmmaker Kevin Toolis, ex-CIA agent Robert Baer examines the reasons why the common car bomb is perhaps the most effective weapon in modern warfare. His eventful life portrayed in the Oscar-winning 2005 political thriller (in which he was played by George Clooney no less), Baer is a man who knows a thing or two about bombs. And while folks all around the world rightly shudder to think of what might happen should nuclear materials somehow fall into the hands of terrorists, their chances of being injured or killed in a car-bomb attack are far greater than their chances of ever perishing from a dirty bomb or city-destroying nuclear warhead. From Oklahoma to Ireland, and the Middle East to the city of London, the common car bomb has shaped conflicts all across the globe. Now, by examining harrowing footage of car bomb attacks and interviewing a number of car bombers themselves, Baer attempts to highlight why all that's needed to destabilize a superpower in the 21st Century is a junky old car and a trunk full of explosives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Oil drives greed in Oscar-winning Traffic screenwriter Stephen Gaghan's labyrinthine sophomore directorial effort that traces the corruption of the global oil industry from the backrooms of Washington, D.C., to the petroleum-rich fields of the Middle East. Based in part on the writings of former CIA case officer Robert Baer, Syriana combines multiple storylines to explore the complexities that befall a proposed merger between two U.S. oil giants. Reform-minded Gulf country prince Nasir (Alexander Siddig) is in favor of making his nation more self-sufficient rather than U.S.-reliant, and his money-minded Western connections couldn't be less pleased. Before settling into a cushy desk job for the remainder of his career, CIA agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) is sent on one last assignment -- to assassinate Prince Nasir and reinstate U.S. ties in the oil-rich region. Though his loyalty dictates that Barnes carry out his current mission despite lingering doubts of a previous blunder, his mission goes horribly awry when his field contact goes turncoat and Barnes becomes a CIA scapegoat. Meanwhile, up-and-coming Washington attorney Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) attempts to walk a fine line in overseeing a tenuous merger between two oil giants that's plagued with shady business dealings. Hotshot energy analyst Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) is in talks to form a lucrative partnership with Prince Nasir, though the death of his son during a party at the prince's estate makes him question his loyalty to business over family. Back in Washington, D.C., Bennet's boss Dean Whiting attempts to undermine Prince Nasir's attempts to make his country less reliant on the U.S. dollar by planting the seeds of dissonance between the progressive prince and his money-minded younger brother Prince Meshal (Akbar Kurtha). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide