Review of Body of Lies (2008) by Gavin S — 12 Feb 2011

Ridley Scott + Russell Crowe always = Great (for my tastes at least). Now when you add in Leonardo DiCaprio in top form and Mark Strong (who is amongst the top in supporting actor work these days - as well as bad guys) well, it's a treat.

Adapted from a novel about a CIA operative, DiCaprio is Ferris, the field op who makes the mistake of giving a shit about people who he works with. This is shown early on, and helps to differentiate his from most other spy thriller characters.

He's not just after the sexy exotic beauty, he seems to genuinely care about those he interacts with. Crowe plays his boss (Hoffman), back in Langley, who couldn't give a shit about anyone but getting the next intel or asset, and represents what most non-Americans seem to think American foreign policy is really like.

Strong is the head of Jordanian security, who isn't exactly an open book. The 3 performances here are great, and the chemistry between the men is believable. Without getting into the plot too much, it's a clever twist on the usual spy genre, but the ending leaves a little to be desired.

..otherwise it's a very solid flick, as is the case with Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe projects.