Review of Body of Lies (2008) by Allan M — 31 Dec 2011

Body of Lies is an entertaining, espionage thriller that displays a strong and interesting plot, with well timed action sequences. This is a good movie, as I thought Ridley Scott did a nice job of telling a thrilling story that is complex, yet simple. Over the course of the two hours Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is taken all over the world and is introduced to many different characters along the way, however Scott stays true to the story so that it is not confusing at all. I thought Leonardo Dicaprio and Mark Strong (who played Hani) provided very solid, convincing performances. Even though Roger Ferris was a lone special agent living in the heart of the Middle East, he was believable in the setting, and at no time did I feel that he was invincible as luck played a big part in his success and the fact that he was able to survive in that environment. I thought Golshifteh Farahani (who played Aisha) was also good in her role, and brought relevance to her character.

Russell Crowe played Ed Hoffman who was a sterotypical, Washington fat cat politician, that fought the war from behind the comforts of his desk and used his agents like pawns in a game of chess. I was dissapointed with Crowe's role here, as his character seemed too enigmatic and forgettable. I believe this character was needed in this film, but I thought Crowe would have had a bigger part with the overall story and action. The story also seemed to run out of gas over the final 30 minutes or so, it was entertaining and I enjoyed the final scene but I think with some creative editing this movie could have ended about 15 minutes earlier and still had the same effect. There was so much going on the story that the 2 hours felt more like 2 1/2-3 hours.

Overall, it was a good movie and definetely worth a look.