December 27: Body of Lies

I've had this DVD sitting around for awhile but couldn't seem to bring myself to watch it. Not really sure why. I mean, I admire Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor -- he's really trying to branch out and take on substantial roles (despite still looking about 21). And Russell Crowe ranks among my top 5 favorite actors. (I don't give a crap about the personal stuff -- what he does on screen is more important. Hell I'm probably one of only a handful of people who really liked A Good Year!) So Body of Lies reunites Crowe with Ridley Scott for the fourth time (number 5 Robin Hood is due in 2010).

In the film, Crowe is cast as Ed Hoffman, a slippery CIA type who seemingly has a permanent telephone connection. I mean, he's helping his young son go to the bathroom and he's directing an overseas operation. Same with watching his daughter's soccer match. It's almost humorous -- but somehow I get the impression we're not meant to think that. Instead, we're supposed to look at him and go - wow, this guy will stop at nothing to get what he wants. What exactly that is, however, well, it's anyone's guess.

DiCaprio is Roger Ferris, an operative with a speciality in Middle Eastern affairs. Of course, throughout the movie he's constantly referred to by his surname which only made me think of Matthew Broderick and Ferris Bueller. I know. I guess I'm either seeing too many movies or something.

So the plot has Crowe directing this operation in the Middle East that has DiCaprio making contact with a Jordanian official (Mark Strong in one of the best performances in the movie) and trying to get a bead on a terrorist (Israeli-born actor Alon Abutbul) meant to remind the audience of Osama bin-Laden and his ilk.

Of course there's also the requisite love interest -- for DiCaprio-- Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani. (Actually her backstory is more dramatic than this film's plot -- which is pretty chockablock with action and dramatics. Farahani was not allowed to leave Iran for many months after shooting this film, despite offers for other film roles. She and her family were eventually allowed to leave and she now resides in France.)

Ridley Scott certainly knows how to stage an action sequence but as written by William Monahan, who adapted from a novel by David Ignatius, has a tightly plotted if somewhat convoluted structure. It becomes a bit difficult to figure out who is doing what to whom. But I suppose that may have been the theme of the piece. It's a bit of a mishmash -- sort of like American involvement in Middle Eastern affairs.

I wasn't blown away by the movie, but I wasn't bored either. It was an okay way to pass a couple of hours.

Rating:     B-