“Body of Lies” director Ridley Scott has been one of the most important directors of the last twenty-five years. From “Alien” and “Blade Runner” to “Gladiator,” “Black Hawk Down” and “American Gangster,” Scott has an amazing knack for engaging his audience. His latest film, “Body of Lies,” is no exception.
In “Alien,” Scott played up the fear of not knowing what’s around the corner. The audience rarely saw the creature and this heightened the anxiety. Similarly, in the visceral “Body of Lies,” (based on David Ignatius’ novel of the same name) Scott deals with the task of portraying another kind of monster that is rarely seen, but one that’s a very real threat that few can accurately identify8212;the War on Terror.
In a role that showcases great his acting but doesn’t stretch much beyond his role in “Blood Diamond,” (which did garner an Oscar nod) Leonardo DiCaprio plays Roger Ferris, a CIA operative who represents a paradigm shift in the way counter-terrorism intelligence is gathered. The traditional battlefield of war has changed from beaches and jungles to the street corners of major cities8212;particularly in the Middle East. On this modern battlefield, the spy planes and satellites can only get the CIA so far. They now rely increasingly on the agents that gather information the old fashioned way8212;the no frills, technology-free way of human ground surveillance. There are scenes that demonstrate the limit of air surveillance and the ever-growing need for a human presence. One that does this well is when Ferris is left in the desert to be picked up by a group of terrorists. When the five black SUVs show up, they drive circles around Ferris, creating enough dust that the CIA spy planes cannot have any way of knowing which car they put him in or where he’s headed.
Watch the second trailer for Body of Lies:
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Ferris’ boss, who watches his every move at home in the U.S. via transmissions from the CIA’s spy plane (including the botched pickup in the desert), and who is seemingly always on the phone guiding Ferris’ every move, is CIA vet Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Hoffman is after emerging terrorist leader Al Saleem (Alon Aboutboul), who is thought to be working out of Jordan and is believed to have choreographed a series of bombings while eluding the best intelligence agencies in the world. Hoffman sends Ferris to meet with Jordan’s top intelligence chief, Hani (Mark Strong) in order to plot a way to capture or kill Al Saleem. Communication eventually breaks down on many different levels and nobody knows who can be trusted. This demonstrates the delicate nature of fighting terror as the enemies on both sides have become much more difficult to target.
Hoffman’s role felt more like a video gamer than a veteran CIA boss at times. Throughout the movie, he’s “a million miles away,” watching everything take place from his home and reacting as if it isn’t reality but instead just a video game with no real consequences. This is how a lot of, if not most, warfare takes place today, and that’s truly scary.
People might give Crowe a hard time, saying he just coasted through this role on autopilot, but he actually stepped outside of his own box and played a character he hasn’t done before. Plus, he gained over fifty pounds for the role8212;nobody just gains fifty pounds and doesn’t take their role seriously. He’s at times annoying and dumb, but he’s supposed to be because he represents the confusion that is at the heart of the War on Terror. Hoffman wants results now, not later, and this frustrates Ferris because it’s too complicated a situation to rush. Hoffman doesn’t get that you have to understand the Middle East before you can work with the people. Otherwise, they’ll hardly take the United States seriously.
Despite some minor flaws, such as a scene or two that would make Rambo jealous, it was a really enjoyable film. Most of the action scenes were similar to “Black Hawk Down” (shaky and raw coupled with quick cuts and zooms), but seeing DiCaprio act like John Rambo was a bit awkward. There is also a contrived and slightly unbelievable romance between Ferris and his nurse, but like I said, the flaws are minor. “Body of Lies” could have easily been heavy-handed, but it wasn’t. The plot was confusing enough to keep your attention, but directed well enough to be able to follow the story. Scott has made another solid movie to add to his already long list of greats. It won’t win any awards, but that’s not important. The battlefield has changed dramatically when it comes to fighting a war, but Scott shows that it’s just as dangerous as it ever was.
