Body of Lies

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Alon Abutbul

The latest in a series of movies about the war on terror, Body of Lies is definitely one of the better entries in the genre that far too often resorts to clichés and attempts at Oscar glory. I can still remember Rendition, which was one of those movies that had a really interesting concept but never actually developed or made any statement on the issue it addressed, looking at things from a black-and-white clear-cut perspective. Thankfully, we don't see DiCaprio hysterically screaming at people in this movie, although you would probably find him screaming as he gets savaged by dogs. Playing like a cross between The Departed and The Kingdom, Body of Lies does have some interesting ideas at its heart and explores them fairly and equally, while at the same time being accessible to casual audiences who want an action-thriller – which is a very hard thing to do, treading on the ground that so many have failed on.

In America, C.I.A. agent Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) is the man in charge of winning the war in the Middle East, but he knows nothing unless it comes from his man on the ground, Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio). Both men are out to get a terrorist (Alon Abutbul) responsible for an attack in Manchester (which apparently has red phone boxes and milk being delivered to the doorstep – which I somehow doubt in this century) but both men have different goals. Ferris tries to set up a relationship with the Chief of Jordanian Intelligence (Mark Strong), which is built on trust and often looks at the bigger picture, whilst Hoffman, pressed for results, often uses bombastic side-operations to get whatever victories he can, which puts the cross-cultural relationship in peril.

In this day and age, Body of Lies is a very relevant movie, in that it takes account of the war from technological perspective, which is what separates current wars from those in the past. Hoffman is often surveying Ferris' operation using satellites or relaying orders via a microphone attached to his mobile phone while he goes on his daily chores. And yet, it's the Jordanian Intelligence that gain more effective results using more low-tech and traditional methods like implementing moles and so forth. The film asks the question of whether technology does aid war or does it add to the casulties it causes? How can you fight a battle when the man who ultimately decides what happens is hundreds of miles away and blissfully unaware of the local impact? The strong technological angle even has one deeply unsettling sideplot where an innocent has a nasty case of identity theft, thanks to some digital manipulation.

However, no matter what technology is invented, there is still plenty of gunfire, which Body of Lies shows in gritty detail. The action scenes are rough and brutal affairs, often resulting in gruesome injury, if not death. If you get captured by the enemy, you get shot in the head to prevent information being extracted by torture afterwards. One character pulls bone fragments out of his arm whilst pondering what compensation will the owner of said bone fragments' family will receive. Torture is portrayed brutally, including a wince-inducing climatic scene. Ferris is often sporting the injuries of the action night before on his face. Director Ridley Scott keeps the pace energetic, leaving enough time to register the pain before moving quickly on.

There's also the theme of deceit running through the film and exactly who is playing who. I have to admit, I did find myself a little lost in the middle as the plot seems to muddle up, but if you have the patience to stick with the movie, it will be rewarded greatly. Likewise, the romantic subplot, which I felt the movie spent perhaps slightly too much time on (there is a lull in these scenes), also rewards the audience should they stick with it.

As usual, DiCaprio continues his string of hardened and ruthless characters finding themselves in hot water, which is many of the parts taken since Titanic, continuing to bury the image of him as Jack Dawson. Although DiCaprio is an underrated performer (I know that for several years I had overlooked him as “him out of Titanic”), I do think he should consider a different type of role for his next appearance, since his character here is similar to that in his last two films, Blood Diamond and The Departed. However, he handles himself well with the material, managing to convince even in the roughest situation. If that isn't a sign that the shadow of Jack Dawson is long behind him, I don't know what is.

Russell Crowe, on the other hand, is in a painfully underwritten part. As interesting thematically it is to have a character effectively waging a war on a screen, it doesn't leave much room for acting. Crowe reacts to this by making himself look and sound like George W. Bush. This, as you might tell, is clearly playing to the back row, and seems more than a little condesending. It isn't helped when several scenes between DiCaprio and Crowe (I say “between”, even though they only interact directly in three key moments) feel like explaining the plot to anyone who doesn't get it. I understand the need to be accessible, but then there's just being obvious. Crowe's character could have been played by any other actor and seems like a bizarre choice for a star name (it is possible he took it because of Scott's involvement, since this marks their fourth film together). Indeed, the marketing has been playing off the strained relationship between Ferris and Hoffman, but this is not the film's main angle and most of their more vicious verbal exchanges are present in the trailers, just minus DiCaprio's foul mouth. (“You can't because you're a million f**king miles away!”)

On the other hand, stealing the film is Mark Strong, who really makes the most out of his part. After a good supporting turn in Stardust, Strong plays the Jordanian Intelligence Chief with a surprising amount of class and dignity, which makes him all the more ambiguous when he uses torture as a form of punishment. (he admits that torture is not an effective means of interrogation anyway) His performance in this role is pivotal – any other actor would have made him a slimy, uncomfortable being, but by not doing this, Scott and Strong gives the film and the events that unfold a sense of ambiguity and tension. Plus, he is a strong contrast to Hoffman in that at least he has a code of ethics whereas Hoffman will do anything to get the job done, or at least in his eyes.

Body of Lies is a fine thriller with some intriguing things to say about fighting terror in today's modern world. While it has a tangled middle, the ending will reward your patience. DiCaprio turns in another strong performance, even if I do worry about him typecasting himself again, while Crowe has the rug pulled from underneath him by Mark Strong, who is an actor to look out for. I don't think Body of Lies is Ridley Scott's best film, but it is a solid piece of work from one of the best directors working today.

4/5

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