Today’s quick review: Body of Lies. Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), a CIA agent stationed in the Middle East, and his stateside boss Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) are on the hunt for Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul), the terrorist mastermind behind a wave of bombings across Europe. To catch him, Roger and Ed must work with Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), the head of Jordanian intelligence, in a complicated operation that could cost innocent lives.
Body of Lies is a drama about the War on Terror from director Ridley Scott. Body of Lies has an intricate plot, solid direction, and fairly good dramatic acting. The movie does a fine job of keeping up its serious tone, and it throws in enough plot twists to keep the viewer guessing. However, Body of Lies has a hard time getting the viewer to invest, with unlikable characters and a story that feels almost bureaucratic in its objectives.
Body of Lies shows the dirty side of the intelligence business. In spite of his good intentions, Roger can’t avoid getting his hands dirty, and he must balance his duty and his conscience. For his part, Ed has few qualms about what he has to do, including going behind Roger’s back and letting local assets be killed for the greater good. Body of Lies does not pose any sophisticated moral questions, but its moral themes do give the movie some substance.
The movie’s main flaw is that its characters never really click. Roger comes across as disagreeable, even at his most heroic. He lacks the charm that Leonardo DiCaprio normally brings to the table. Ed makes for a sharp, manipulative foil to Roger. Their heated conversations help drive the story, but neither character comes across as all that sympathetic. Even their mission is more exciting in its particulars than in its final objective.
Watch Body of Lies when you are in the mood for a serious intelligence-based drama with a dash of action and a good plot. Its heavy tone and flawed characters make it poor escapism, but its execution is strong enough to make it a good watch. Skip it if you are looking for pure action. For a historical thriller involving Middle Eastern politics, check out Argo. For crime dramas with similar tones, check out Donnie Brasco, The Town, or The Departed.
7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for solid execution hurt by unlikable characters.