Body of Lies

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Ali Suliman, Michael Gaston
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: CIA Agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) searches desperately for a terrorist mastermind before he can strike again. While he works on the ground in the Middle East, butts heads with his CIA superior (Russell Crowe) working back in the United States.

Review:

Tim: This is another terrorism movie, which are almost overwhelming at this point. This movie tells an interesting story, but it doesn't do enough to seperate itself from all those other movies. Ridley Scott does give us a tight, fast-paced action-drama. While not superb, the movie is fairly entertaining.

Leonardo DiCaprio does a good job as a CIA operative working in Jordan and surrounding countries. He is mostly believable in the role, and has a few scenes to really flex his acting muscles. Russell Crowe is decent- I was surprised he took this smaller role. He is definitely not playing the typical roles he takes, and that is enjoyable. DiCaprio and Russell have fairly good chemistry together, and their mutual scenes were among my favorite.

The movie does have a few strong action sequences, although this is first and foremost a drama. Most of the movie involves strategic conversations taking place. In many ways, this movie is like a game of chess, as the characters are moved across the Middle East and the United States by unseen hands, most of them just pawns in this war on terror. That is pretty interesting to see.

Ridley Scott has given us some terrific movies, but this one doesn't quite live up to it. The film strays all over the place (although this is hard to see at first because the movie feels like it's moving quickly along a straight line). We have the obligatory cross cultural makings of a relationship, a few scenes of torture (one of which is particularly difficult to watch), and a few of the twists and turns you come to expect from these political thrillers.

Body of Lies is unfortunately all too forgettable. While there are some tense moments, far too much time is spent in idle ways, which result in some moments of boredom. There were some very emotional moments, but mostly, it was difficult to really care about any of the characters. Some of the political maneuverings are fascinating to watch, but you ultimately question what this is all leading up to. As I mentioned, I did enjoy this movie, but I wish that it had been better. As it stands, this is just another terrorism movie piled on top of dozens of other terrorism movies. In a few months, I'll have an increasingly difficult time of remembering what made this one unique or different. It will all start to blur together. That is a shame.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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