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Body of Lies is director Ridley Scott's contribution to the multitude of movies concerning America's War on Terror. The film was released in the shadow of similar films such as The Kingdom, Stop-Loss and In the Valley of Elah. Ridley's movie is an intricate little beast composed for a very specific type of movie-goer - the thinking movie-goer. With the release date just subsequent to the 2008 summer season (highlights included The Dark Knight, Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) the film practically tiptoed into cinemas with the stealth of the CIA operatives at the centre of this crackling thriller.
Body of Lies is a visceral, gritty, gripping adaptation of the 2007 novel by Washington Post foreign-affairs columnist David Ignatius. Screenwriter William Monahan (who earned an Oscar for Martin Scorsese's The Departed) has constructed an incisive, albeit dramatically uninvolving examination of the War on Terror as conducted on the ground and back in the US in offices, homes, suburban playgrounds and HQs - mostly via cell phones. Monahan's script expresses the stimulating and profound perception that cynicism and hope can subsist alongside one another, and merge into a singular expression of both from time to time. It's this complexity and sophistication that distances Body of Lies from the swarm of other films concerning America's War on Terror. Case in point: Peter Berg's The Kingdom was a mere action film and essentially propaganda. Body of Lies never feels the need to promote America - instead the self-absorbed personalities behind desks back home lie constantly while the poor men in the field face the consequences. Americans are shown as dishonest, deceptive and vulnerable, which is frankly a breath of fresh air. Scriptwriter Monahan refuses to paint any side of the ongoing conflict as good or bad. Americans lie. Jordanians lie. Muslims kill helpless civilians. It's this quality which allows Body of Lies to rise above the stereotypes of preachy left-wing Hollywood. But at the end of the day it usually fails to engage. As a result we're left with Leonardo DiCaprio running around the Middle East for two hours as Russell Crowe lies in his ear.
Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) supervises intelligence in the Far East for the CIA: he's a sophisticated operative negotiating hot zones in the Middle East while no-one close to him makes it out alive. He trusts his life to a dispassionate voice on the other end of a secure phone line. Said voice is that of Ed Hoffman (Crowe). Ed rages war from a laptop in his living room in the suburbs in Washington, dictating Ferris' orders. When a new extremist group begins bombing cities, Ferris is relocated to Jordan. To lure this new terrorist leader out into the open, Ferris penetrates the world of underground financing and frantic martyrs, in addition to forming a shaky alliance with the head of Jordanian Special Ops. The quest takes Ferris across Iraq, Jordan, Washington and Dubai. But the closer he gets to the target, the more he finds himself trapped in a hall of mirrors where allies are only as good as their last deception, and trust becomes the most dangerous tactic of all. Ferris becomes embroiled in a cat-and mouse-game during which the objective is information and the currency is personal integrity.
As well as being an intense drama, Body of Lies also serves as a globe-trotting espionage thriller. At its core, it's the plot of a James Bond film transplanted into the Middle East (without the frequent action). For the most part, Body of Lies works as its tense and competently handled. But the movie is overly talkative without managing to deliver an innovative message. There's more action in a standard episode of 24 than in this two-hour dialogue-driven drama. The dialogue is terse and stilted, with the promising plot too convoluted and uninteresting. This is a listen-up-or-you'll-miss-something, join-the-dots production that won't generate overwhelming ticket sales. Dramatically, the script falls flat into the final third. It follows the conventions of a tradition action movie; however it even fails to satisfy on a pure entertainment level. There's a love interest included for the sake of a love interest. She serves no purpose other than to provide momentum for the finale. It successfully managed to eschew clichés and predictability for a majority of its running time before subsequently succumbing to them late into the game. It's a drastically disappointing shift.
Movies regarding the war in Iraq have been a difficult sell for the most part. Body of Lies appears more attractive due to its substantial star power. Ridley Scott at the helm, Russell Crowe and Leo DiCaprio (fresh from his acclaimed performances in Blood Diamond and The Departed which earned him several prestigious award nominations) being featured as the primary acting talent? Suddenly things are more interesting. Even better: William Monahan penned the script.
Ridley Scott is one of the select A-list directors capable of infusing a blockbuster with a certain level of artistry and depth. He makes every single shot count. Somehow, though, all the ingredients don't coalesce into anything overly brilliant. To be frank, it's a bit of a snoozer. It fails to engage or rivet a viewer on a significant level. On occasion, for instance the enthralling helicopter chase, the film boasts moments of sheer brilliance. However there just isn't an adequate quantity of these moments. 2006's Blood Diamond is of the standard Body of Lies should've reached. Edward Zwick's Blood Diamond contained great dialogue, searing action and a coherent story that flowed satisfyingly. Body of Lies is too boring too frequently. Ridley Scott's direction is competent and meticulous for sure, but the dialogue underwhelms and the film concludes with a muted whimper. At the end of the day, 60% of the story seems utterly pointless.
Russell Crowe reportedly gained 63 pounds for his role. Honestly, one has to wonder why. It seems like the most useless body transformation in history.
There's a lethal problem in the interaction between Crowe and DiCaprio - it's usually via phone. Nevertheless, Crowe is amusing as he embraces his inner cad and barks orders to DiCaprio's Roger Ferris while driving kids to soccer practise. Crowe's performance is fairly subdued, but he's acceptable and credible. DiCaprio is sufficiently charming and intense. But the role never gives him anything challenging, and ultimately he never seems like someone capable of seamlessly blending into the Arab culture. Mark Strong is the particular stand-out of the cast.
Overall, Body of Lies is a mediocre picture that, despite fantastic visuals, lacks dramatic momentum. There's an unfortunate failure to keep an audience involved in the sprawling, overlong, confusing saga. Be that as it may, there are numerous strong points such as Ridley Scott's artistic direction, nail-biting suspense and incredible action. At times it's truly dazzling. Other times it's too dull and boring for words.
6.8/10
