Click to play videoCast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russel Crowe, Mark Strong
Direction: Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott's Body of Lies is an extremely ordinary espionage drama. Sure it stars two of the finest actors in the business, and yes there are lots of car chases and explosions. But all of it looks like yesterday's news – nothing you haven't already seen in a Bond film, or a Bourne film for that matter.
Leonardo DiCaprio, sporting a bushy thicket under his chin, plays Roger Ferris, a super-capable CIA agent based in the Middle East, who's got a lead on a bin Laden-like terrorist bigwig operating in Jordan.
Ferris, who is not only fluent in Arabic but also familiar with the region's cultures and traditions, must lure the terrorist leader, dodging bullets and bombs in the process.
Russel Crowe plays Ed Hoffman, his middle-aged, pot-bellied boss in Virginia, who's constantly in touch with Ferris through what seems like a permanently attached headset and cell-phone.
Ferris and Hoffman may be out to trap the same terrorist mastermind, but their styles are different; and in fact that forms one of the film's central themes – the conflict between the man on the ground and the armchair general.
The other key theme of this film is deception. So look out for double and triple agents, look out for manufactured incidents, and look out for characters who are impossible to read – like Hani Salaam, the mysterious head of Jordanian Intelligence (played by British actor Mark Strong) whose confidence Ferris must win.
The best moments in Body of Lies take place when important characters come face to face, putting up a front of total honesty but engaging in deceit and betrayal every step of the way.
In a nutshell, the problem with Body of Lies is that the plot occasionally becomes convoluted and you're left wondering what exactly is going on. Also, much of film comes off looking too contrived. If you're expected to believe that the CIA can indeed spy on people anywhere in the world, and from thousands of miles away, then naturally your next question's going to be – why haven't they managed to catch some of the most feared terrorists yet? It's a very simple, obvious question. Yet one that doesn't get an answer.
DiCaprio and Crowe are both good, they always are. But neither can escape the pitfalls of this pointless film.
Because it's too long and goes around in circles, I'm going to go with two out of five and an average rating for Ridley Scott's Body of Lies. It's got its moments. But those moments are few and far between.
Rating: 2 / 5 (Average)
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