Review: Body of Lies Written By Brian Paterson on 5/13/09
Apart from director/screenwriter Stephan Gaghan’s Syriana (2005), the vast majority of films regarding the Middle East post-9/11 have been about as popular with the viewing public as the wars that are fought there. Regardless of the amount of cash poured into advertising, hype, and star power, American moviegoers have decided to reserve images of this battlefield for the evening news and occasional Digg article. The same holds true for Ridley Scott’s spy thriller Body of Lies, the story of CIA duo Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Ed Hoffman’s (Russell Crowe) exploits against a terrorist cell wreaking havoc throughout Europe. Not even Scott could have foreseen his film being vanquished at the box office by talking Chihuahuas, and for good reason; DiCaprio is a far cry from his days as a one-dimensional heartthrob and is rapidly becoming the actor film enthusiasts have been hoping for.
The recurring theme of Body of Lies revolves around the issue of trust; everyone in agent Ferris’s life, including his fellow CIA operatives, is a potential double-crosser. And while the concept of cutthroat spy-games is far from novel, there is enough suspense and intrigue brought on by the DiCaprio/Crowe dynamic to keep viewers hooked even during some of the film’s slower moments. DiCaprio manages to con and manipulate his way into the hearts and minds of some extremely powerful people, much like he had in Scorcese’s The Departed (2006) and Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can (2002). He frequently endangers his own life along with those he cares about for the sake of completing the mission. His great flaw, however, is that he is so good-natured and vulnerable (aside from when he’s mowing down Jihadist rebels) that he will place his trust in anyone, including a powerful Jordanian figurehead known as Hani. Ferris is a government pawn, but he’s every bit as power hungry as his bloated compatriot, Ed Hoffman.
While not the complete tyrant the advertisers initially made the Hoffman character out to be, Crowe certainly does bring an air of menace to the film. He’s a ruthless CIA chief to be sure, but he’s also a devoted family man. It is this human quality which makes his persona all the more frightening – that a man could simultaneously pick his kids up from a soccer game while giving the order to carry out a murder during covert operation is chilling. Even more dangerous is his almost infantile behavior; he shows the patience of a five year-old, never hesitating to accomplish an assignment his own way even if it results in catastrophe. His obsession with authority is comparable to the CIA official played by David Strathairn in the Bourne Trilogy, only in this scenario the film’s hero, DiCaprio, knows he’s overmatched by the agency heads.
It’s also interesting to note DiCaprio’s comfort level in countries normally hostile toward westerners. He struts around Iraq, Jordan and Palestinian refugee camps with a Bond-like panache, showing no visible signs of fear and apprehension but rather a genuine love for the culture. While there are certainly those who would rather see his head in a basket than in a baseball cap, he is comfortable with his life in the Middle East – even going so far as to jestingly offer an Iranian nurse’s sister his American passport in exchange for a Jordanian one. Ferris is the absolute antithesis of his superior in that he genuinely cares for his Arab friends and wishes for their warmth in return, as opposed to the icy Hoffman who’s about as closed-minded as they come. While it’s sad that this goodwill is not explored in other films prominently featuring foreign actors and locales, in this era it’s refreshing to see even a hint of tolerance between the two enormously dissimilar cultures.
It must have been exceedingly difficult for writer William Monahan to follow up one of the decade’s best dog-eat-dog crime dramas in The Departed with a script of equal caliber, but he has come remarkably close. With any good spy film you can expect a heap of bombshells, revelations and plot twists; the film does tremendously well is its ability to keep the audience off guard long enough to deliver a few sharp jabs throughout and conclude with a complete haymaker of an ending. You’ll be guessing from the moment the first explosion (expect quite a few) lights up the skies of Manchester, and won’t stop until the final credits role.
