Review of Body of Lies (2008) by James V — 18 Jan 2010

Ridley Scott seems strangely able to take a tired and worn storyline and injecting something more... impressive into it. Think about it: Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster. Having watched Body of Lies, I can happily say that this one can be added to the list too.

Critics will deride it as another 'liberal' critique of the War on Terror, or as something of a trojan horse for Leonardo di Caprio to polish his 'alternate' image. Neither really fits in my opinion. The storyline focuses on a CIA operatives' (di Caprio) hunt for a terrorist mastermind across the Middle East. Di Caprio's character is "helped" by his boss: a right-wing, ends-justifies-the-means, Machiavellian character played intriguingly by Russell Crowe. Both are also assisted by a "good Arab": a Jordanian spy played brilliantly by Mark Strong. The result of the film is the identity of the true hero - the Jordanian master spy.

Instead of preaching, the film seems to be more suggestive. Instead of declaring America's undying determination to defeat the terrorists, we get a more complex view of how to solve the problem. Di Caprio continues his transformation as a teen-heartthrob into a genuinely talented and serious actor. Russell Crowe continues to demonstrate his remarkable ability to put weight one, or maybe just like he has. Coupled with his acting ability, he really is a very good portrayer of a number of wildly diverging roles.

And throughout it all, Scott shoots beautifully the throbbing humanity of Middle Eastern cities, particularly the markets. Whether viewed from a spy's eyes as a potential asset is dragged kicking and screaming into a terrorists' van, or from the dispassionate gaze of a reconnaissance plane, the film does a very good job of showing an aspect of the ongoing conflict that is often remarked about, but (probably) very misunderstood.