Body of Lies (Ridley Scott, 2008): USA

Reviewed by Oscar Krooni. Viewed at the Riviera Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA (Cinema Society).

The normally very talented director Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down, American Gangster) shows in Body of Lies that he is just another mediocre director. Recent big movies starring great actors have also been set in the Middle East, but this one has to be considered the worst so far. The problem just might be that these movies, Syriana (2005) and Babel (2006), set the standard too high for upcoming movies.  However, I still expect more from an ensemble consisting of the aforementioned Ridley Scott, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Russell Crowe.

Body of Lies is about Roger Ferris, a covert CIA operative (played by DiCaprio), who works in the Middle East infiltrating and searching for terrorists. Ferris is assisted by Ed Hoffman (played by Russell Crowe) who is works from the CIA headquarters back in Washington D.C.

Ferris sets up a plan to infiltrate a terrorist organization in Jordan with help from the Chief of the Jordanian Intelligence. A story of trust and betrayal develops between the two: Ferris is works in the middle of the bureaucrats in D.C., personified by Hoffman, and the Jordanian Intelligence. It is a balance of who he can trust in search for the terrorists and of a Middle-Eastern mentality that implies the saying “what goes around comes around.”

The first problem with Body of Lies is that it lacks a strong story line. The second problem is the lack of depth and pathos in the characters. With a line-up consisting of two of the greatest actors in the industry today, I can see no reason why this should occur. Crowe´s character lacks depth altogether and while DiCaprio, as always, does a great job, his character is like a weaker replica of his ditto in Blood Diamond (2006).

As in Blood Diamond, DiCaprio has become part of the environment and has very low tolerance for the authorities (in this case the CIA bosses in the offices) and their lack of understanding of the situation out on the streets. DiCaprio portrays his character brilliantly, with high intensity and integrity. He has certainly become one of the most forceful types of actors today. Crowe, on the other hand, plays a chubby dad who on the outside appears to be the opposite of DiCaprio´s character. It is a very simple and typical polarization of characters, which directs the viewer who to root for. Hoffman is Ferris’ predecessor, so in a way it is old versus new.

Whereas Babel had great character pathos as well as an interesting time-continuum, and Syriana had a profound message in the story, Body of Lies turns out to be nothing but an average action movie set in the Middle East. Not that there´s anything wrong with that–it´s just that I expect more from this ensemble.

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Published:
10.12.08 / 1pm
Category:
Cinema Society, Films