Movie Review: “Body of Lies”

“Terrorism” has been the watchword for the past seven years in this country and around the world. In “Body of Lies”, Ridley Scott explores the tactics utilized by Islamic extremists and the methods of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to root them out. This exploration primarily focuses on the complexity of the relationships among fellow agents and foreign intelligence agencies.

Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a CIA operative located in Jordan who works under CIA section chief, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Both Ferris and Hoffman are tasked with eliminating a rising terrorist leader who is responsible for masterminding bombings throughout western Europe. Ferris is an intelligent and tough agent who has tremendous respect for the culture that he attempts to infiltrate. He learns the customs of the locale and speaks Arabic. Hoffman, on the other hand, lives outside of Washington D.C., where he poses as an ordinary suburban father who shuttles his children to school and cheers for them at soccer games, while plotting the deaths of faceless men located thousands of miles away with a wireless laptop.

After encountering difficulties in locating the terrorist leader, Ferris, on his own accord, approaches the chief of the Jordanian intelligence agency, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong) to enlist his aid. Salaam, who looks like a Jordanian Andy Garcia, is a suave but brutal man who demands complete honesty from Ferris, if they are to work together. Although Ferris earnestly makes a pledge of honesty to Salaam, he quickly finds it impossible to maintain once Hoffman shows that he has little respect for his Jordanian counterpart. Soon, whatever headway had been made in the investigation is soon erased by Hoffman’s abrasive insistence on doing things his own way.

Throughout the film, “Body of Lies” demonstrates the differences between the intelligence tactics used by the CIA and those utilized by foreign intelligence agencies. The film emphasizes that with all of the sophisticated technology that the United States has at its fingertips, including worldwide, instantaneous satellite imaging, good old-fashioned methods of espionage can be equally effective.

Overall, “Body of Lies” is a compelling film. However, all of the credit should be given to the screenwriter, William Monahan, and the main actors, DiCaprio, Crowe and Strong. Director, Ridley Scott has clearly lost the creativity and innovativeness that spawned such classics as “Blade Runner” and “Alien”. In fact, “Body of Lies” merely evinces the mediocre qualities of any other competently directed blockbuster. Go see “Body of Lies”, but see it for any other reason than being “a film by Ridley Scott”.

- Kevin Leckerman

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