Body of Lies

An ageing CIA agent and his young counterpart have very different approaches to cracking the current terrorism crisis. Middle Eastern espionage thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, and produced and directed by Ridley Scott
Body Of Lies is based on a novel by David Ignatius, a 'Washington Post' journalist specialising in Middle East affairs and the CIA. A regular on the American TV news circuit, he used his understanding of these areas as the basis for the best-selling 'Body Of Lies'. A thick tome in every sense of the word, Ignatius' book is a sub-Tom Clancy affair where the authentic background provides the basis for a pretty pulpy tale. Entertaining if far from nourishing, it's no surprise that Ignatius's novel has been adapted for the big screen. It's more of a shock that the property has attracted such major talents as Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott. Ignoring the awful A Good Year, the Scott-Crowe axis has invigorated the sword and sandal picture (see Gladiator) and rediscovered the epic crime movies of Sidney Lumet (viz American Gangster). That the pair have resorted to the movie equivalent of beach reading seems a shame, especially given the power they wield in their respective fields. It's more disappointing still to see DiCaprio doing something as run-of-the-mill as this. With his more recent films suggesting that he's the best young actor on the planet, only large sums of cash or a desire to add to his autograph collection can account for his presence here. He has the most testing role in Body Of Lies but his undercover agent Roger Ferris is not as complex as The Aviator's Howard Hughes, The Departed's Billy Costigan or even Catch Me If You Can's Frank Abagnale Jr. Looking for all the world like an auditionee for the lead in Steven Soderbergh's Che, DiCaprio's Ferris is a young CIA operative with a decidedly old-fashioned approach to his work. Eat with the people, drink with the people, sleep with the people - that's what the secret service used to think it took to win a war, and Ferris continues to adhere to the age-old directive. By contrast, his senior Ed Hoffman (Crowe, revisiting The Insider's Jeffrey Wigand) has turned his back on the old techniques and embraced technology in its many forms. Even with the many toys they have at their disposal, Hoffman and his colleagues prove incapable of preventing a wave of terrorist attacks. The man behind the carnage, the Bin-Laden-like Al-Saleem (Aboutboul), appears untouchable. Only Ferris, with his commitment to living among Muslims, has a realistic chance of capturing the kingpin. But with the bungling Hoffman and Jordanian intelligence chief Hani Salaam (Strong) forever interfering, Ferris's difficult job attains new levels of insurmountability. If it sounds like there's a lot wrong with Body Of Lies, it's important to stress that there's plenty right with this highly professional picture. Strong action set-pieces, impressive explosions, nicely executed suspense sequences, a torture scene to rival the kicking George Clooney copped in the similarly themed Syriana - this is by no means a Scott misfire. As for DiCaprio, he's very good in the scenes where he romances Golshifteh Farahani's charming nurse Aisha. Seemingly created to make US audiences aware that Muslim etiquette isn't that far removed from American dating conventions, it's a treat to eavesdrop on something so chaste. The brief moments Ferris spends with Aisha's young nephews are also a nice showcase for DiCaprio's childlike charm. Big Russ, meanwhile, finds himself doubling as a supporting player and the film's comic relief. Okay, so he's frosted his hair and developed a paunch, but this is Crowe having fun rather than parading his talent. Anything but an objectionable performance, it's rather nice to see Maximus Decimus Meridius dropping his son off at school and walking the touchline at his daughter's soccer game. Crowe ensures that this teddy bear has one helluva bite and his wonderfully rumpled face is his greatest gift to the production. Elsewhere on the acting front, it's strange to find a number of key Middle Eastern roles taken by non-Muslim actors. Skip, Ferris's bungling offsider, is played - by the admittedly very competent - Greek-Australian actor Vince Colosimo. Then there's the pivotal part of Hani that's somehow wound up in the hands of our very own Mark Strong. To his immense credit, Strong is quite extraordinary in the role, expertly walking a tightrope between camp charm and action movie menace. But couldn't, say, Art Malik have played the part equally well? Or what about Syriana's Amr Waked? Not that roles of a particular creed or colour have to played by someone of that stripe but it seems a real opportunity has been missed both here and in other recent films. Casting's not the major problem with Body Of Lies, though. In his book, Ignatius presents widely received information as revelations. Did you know how easy it is for developing world terrorists to drop off the grid? If you've watched any documentaries on the subject post-9/11, the chances are you do. Anyone who's followed the ongoing farrago in Iraq will also be aware that American operations have been hamstrung by the Bush administration's obsession with short-term gains. Body Of Lies wants us to believe we've stumbled upon one of those memory sticks MI6 always seem to be leaving on trains when in fact all we've come across is an okay adaptation of an alright book. Although it doesn't outstay its welcome (it runs a shade over two hours) Body Of Lies reminds you of the period when Ridley Scott seemed to think that pictures like White Squall and G.I. Jane represented a proper use of his time and resources. Not that either of these pictures is utterly awful - it's just that if you have films like Alien and Blade Runner within you, you have no business getting Demi Moore to shave her head. Or having Russell Crowe play it for laughs, for that matter.
Verdict Like Syriana without either the balls or the brains, Body Of Lies is perfectly presentable. You just expect better from the likes of Leo, Russ and Ridley.