Body of Lies

I read David Ignatious' book in 2007 and thought it was a riveting CIA story about an operative who finds himself torn between the real-time intelligence that he receives in the volatile Middle East, and the bureaucratic red tape in Washington that dictates his rules of engagement.

Ridley Scott's adaptation is an exciting thrill-a-minute action movie, but too much of the mystique of covert operations is wasted behind an absurd power struggle between the man on the ground (DiCaprio) and his supervisor in the safety of an air conditioned office (Crowe). The interaction between these two is cool, but Crowe's character is despicable and callous not to mention ignorant of Middle Eastern customs and language. Qualities that certainly do not qualify someone to head a division even in the black ops realm of the CIA.

The film belongs to DiCaprio. He displays his inner action star, but does so with a bit of nobility. Films like Blood Diamond and the Departed showed a glimmer of his potential in this arena, and he brings quality acting to the table as well as a believable character. Crowe simply brings a second big name to the mix. He could have played this part in his sleep, and it's obvious.

Ridley Scott accentuates the technological capabilities as well as the ethical grey areas as it concerns the global war on terror. There are no boundaries or rules when dealing with extremist groups who want nothing more than to punish the infidels. Scott makes sure that the viewer realizes this, and it helps the film.

What does not help the film however, is that it is far too long. At 2 hours and 8 minutes, it seems more like 3 hours, and the multitude of plot twists that made Ignatious' book so entertaining have found themselves on the cutting room floor save one mildly unexpected twist.

The film comes and goes, and there is no real satisfaction or resolution. The climax comes far too quickly during the pivotal scenes near the end, and although the intent is to be a smart, realistic, spy thriller, Ridley Scott should have milked the action angle a little more for entertainment value since he scrapped major plot points.

Some of the action is commendable - particularly with regard to the military and intelligence scenes, but the action is dulled by interludes of nonsensical romantic tension that is seemingly only placed in the film because there was nothing else to put in it.

I loved the book, but only moderately enjoyed the film. Perhaps my standards are skewed and a comparison is unfair. If you have no basis for comparison, this would be one of the better films in recent years to tackle the subject of terrorism, but in many ways it is still just a waste of talented actors, writers and director. By the way - William Monahan (the Departed) wrote the screenplay for this one, and fails in my book. I'm looking forward to more of DiCaprio's films in the near future. 7/10.