Body of Lies tells us the story of CIA paramilitary operative Agent Roger Ferris who is given the task of tracking a dangerous terrorist named Al-Saleem in Jordan following a sequence of bombings in Europe. Under the supervision of his handler Ed Hoffman back in Langley, Ferris attempts to make alliances with the Jordanian Intelligence in order to get to Al-Saleem but deception on the part of his superiors ensures that all allegiances are heavily strained. Ferris finds himself battling against his own people in order to maintain the integrity and secrecy of his plans but soon realizes the frailty of the power he believed he had over the entire operation. Ferris also falls in love with a nurse named Aisha who he meets while getting a rabies vaccination.
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The plot becomes personal when Aisha is allegedly kidnapped by the terrorists in an attempt to get to Ferris. Based on the novel of the same name written by David Ignatius, the film is co-produced and directed by Academy Award nominated Director Ridley Scott who is famed for his work in Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000) and American Gangster (2007). The film pairs Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe together for the first time, while this is Crowe’s fourth collaboration (soon to be five with Robin Hood) with Director Ridley Scott.
The film boasts some great performances in particular from the front men DiCaprio and Crowe. DiCaprio’s performances in The Aviator, The Departed and Revolutionary Road have cemented him as one of Hollywood’s best young actors. His portrayal of Agent Ferris meanwhile was as intense and almost every bit as gritty as he was in Blood Diamond.
Russell Crowe’s pedigree was however never in doubt as the three-time Academy Award nominated actor belted out another solid performance as the often infuriating Hoffman. One of the most notable performances however was from British actor Mark Strong who played Hani Salaam, Head of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department, bringing out swagger and style to his role in Body of Lies.
The film was critical about the manner in which some things are handled by the US intelligence which explains the film’s relatively poor recognition.
However, it offers much of the same stuff we’ve seen over the past decade and a half with a little more style, grit and class about it which many would appreciate. The film is also about 20 minutes too long for me, which meant that the intense plotline dragged a bit, and it was difficult to keep focused on for two hours and the incredibly unnecessary subplot revolving around Ferris and his love interest was both irritating and out of place. Nevertheless for those spy thriller fans this is a great movie which pairs up two incredible actors with the likes of some solid supporting performances and a relatively satisfactory storyline. |
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