Customer Reviews

Body of Lies (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have been awaiting the release of this dramatic action thriller directed by Ridley Scott and Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crow for a long time and I was not disappointed.

DiCaprio plays a C.I.A. agent in the middle east who is trying to collect intelligence and is running into twists and turns around every corner. DiCaprio's performance is outstanding. You completely forget who he is and become immersed as him as a C.I.A. agent who is undercover. This is quite an acting job considering that he is the furthest thing from that. He has the grizzled appearance of someone undercover and his scenes are so strong and commanding that he doesn't have that baby boy aspect to him that I've seen in other of his pictures. His was an Oscar worthy performance.

There is the eye in the sky tracking DiCaprio by camera from above as he goes about his seemingly rouge missions for the C.I.A. Russell Crowe plays the older C.I.A. family man who is in contact with Ferris (DiCaprio) as he walks the minefield that is intelligence gathering in the middle east. Crowe is absorbed in his daily life in America and seemingly is oblivious to the hardships and deadly consequences that Ferris is facing. This is an understated role for Crowe who also very good performance. He does not look at all like that same man who played The Gladiator. And I think this is the most relaxed character I've seen him play yet.

This film was expertly directed by Ridley Scott to the point that at times I felt as if I were there. You can almost feel the sand in your lungs and the stink of death and open air markets as you feast your eyes on this gem.

Although I'm not typically an action movie man this one reeled me in because you really didn't know what was next around the corner. The action scenes are great, by the way, even though that's not why I pick movies to watch.

This is a great movie and if you like the actors, director, and genre of this film then it is a definite for you to watch.
I give it all five stars and will watch it again.
Kevin W. Mattingly
Harrisburg Times.

"Body of Lies" is a taut, riveting thriller that weaves a tale of terrorism, espionage, and betrayal amid the current landscape of violence and retribution in the Middle East. The film is based on the novel by David Ignatius.

Leonardo DiCaprio continues to prove that he's got the acting chops and is believable in action films. Here he plays Roger Ferris, a CIA operative working to track down a bin Ladenesque terrorist named Al-Saleem. Al-Saleem's trail leads Ferris to Jordan, where he must balance working with and between his CIA handler (played with relish by an overweight, aged Russell Crowe) and the head of Jordanian intelligence (brilliantly played by Mark Strong), who are working at crosspurposes with each other. Ferris further complicates his mission by falling for an Iranian nurse (played by Golshifteh Farahani).

The movie uses wild technology, lies and counterlies, torture, and Ferris' growing disdain with the intelligence community. Some of the movie seems quite fanciful, and maybe it is, but except for a couple of places, it holds up as a brutually honest thriller.

"Body of Lies" isn't perfect, but it doesn't have to be. It's fiction. Some may find it unbelievable, but it's a movie, and that means it doesn't have to get everything right. It just has to entertain, and it certainly does.

Ridley Scott delivers again in a long line of excellent films. Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray], Alien (The Director's Cut), Thelma & Louise (Special Edition), and Black Hawk Down to name some of the more influential films he has directed.

The common theme, repeated again in Body of Lies, people's struggle to do the right thing, to fight for good. Scott also has a particular film style that he uses to great advantage in this film. This story in other hands would not be nearly as powerful. The pacing in Body of Lies is very similar to Blade Runner.

This is essentially a series of three short stories, or a play in three acts. Each act starts out calmly, building to a huge climax, and then there is the resolution. The common thread through each act is Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. It would appear at first that this is going to be a very complicated film, mideastern conflict films or news articles are usually incredibly complex and mind numbing. However, Scott has managed to use the appropriate names and complicated cultures, but keeps the film focused on the critical story line - Roger Ferris (DiCaprio). In fact, the film is very simple and easy to follow.

In the first two acts, DiCaprio was believeable with his beard, dirty clothes, and speaking arabic languages. His character was a bit less believeable in the third act and as he started the relationship with Aisha. There were a few moments where the film wandered a bit. It was especially when Roger drove himself in a vehicle. That may sound strange, but it was emphasized several times, "do want to ride in the front or back?", that he was not driving. There was a loss of focus with him at the wheel.

Russell Crowe plays an overweight, southern boy, CIA director, named Ed Hoffman. He is simply perfect through the whole film. Never a misstep. Crowe has an amazing range in his acting ability.

The story is somewhat like 24, terriorist chases, a relationship with the pretty woman, trust me I know whay I'm doing, etc. But Body of Lies moves much farther ahead, and makes a stronger more believeable message than 24.

From a production standpoint, Ridley Scott is a master. This reviewer noted only a few missteps. One sadly obvious one was a pan to follow Roger walking across a hallway late in the film. Roger walks way out of focus and then back in - the camera movement was too radical and quick to keep focus. It sadly was not on purpose. Otherwise, everything else was spot on perfect considering the film genre.

This is definately an R rated film. There is a fairly brutal scene at the end, and some punishing (this was the term used in the film) earlier on. There's enough language and violence to land appropriately in this category. Probably not a film for younger viewers at all. There is no nudity.

The DVD contains no bonus features at all. Simply the movie, sound choices, and chapters. But that's the way it should be, the focus was on the quality of the transfer and DVD. Ridley Scott is actually a bigger fan of releasing different versions later on, instead of bonus features.

This was an exciting, easy to follow and understand film from start to finish. The ending was well near perfect.

This movie is based on the novel of the same name by David Ignatius, Editorial Colmnist for The Washington Post.

Mr. Ignatius recently posted a column about the passing of the real-life spy, Gen. Saad Kheir, on whom he based the character 'Hani Pasha,' played by British actor Mark Strong in the movie.

Mr. Ignatius wrote:

Jordan's ace of spies

By David Ignatius
Sunday, December 13, 2009

When the spy movie ends, the suave intelligence chief -- having outsmarted his enemies -- dusts off the lapels of his perfectly tailored suit and disappears into his world of illusion and control.

That's not how it ended in real life, alas, for Gen. Saad Kheir, the brilliant but emotionally wounded spymaster who headed Jordan's General Intelligence Department (GID) from 2000 to 2005. He died in a hotel room in Vienna on Wednesday of a heart attack, the official Jordanian news agency reported. He was just 56.

Kheir at his best was among the greatest Arab intelligence officers of his generation. He ran a series of masterful penetration operations against Palestinian extremist groups and, later, al-Qaeda. "He set the standard for how we do it," said one former CIA officer who worked closely with him.

I got to know Kheir five years ago when I was researching a novel about the Middle East called "Body of Lies," which was later made into a movie that starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Kheir was the model for my fictional Jordanian intelligence chief, "Hani Salaam." Like all GID chiefs, Kheir was addressed by the Ottoman honorific of "pasha," so I gave the sobriquet of "Hani Pasha" to my fictional version.

Hani Pasha (played in the movie by British actor Mark Strong) stole the show, and for a simple reason -- he was based on a true master of the game. My character's tradecraft, manners, even his wardrobe were all modeled on those of the real pasha.
It was George Tenet, then director of the CIA, who first described to me Kheir's brilliance as an operator. I asked Tenet in 2003 if any foreign intelligence services had been especially helpful against al-Qaeda, and he answered instantly, "The Jordanians," and continued with Tenetian enthusiasm, "Their guy Saad Kheir is a superstar!"

So the next time I was in Amman, I asked the royal palace if I could meet the legendary intelligence chief, and it was duly arranged. I was driven to the GID's fearsome headquarters, past its black flag bearing the ominous warning in Arabic "Justice Has Come" and escorted upstairs to the pasha's office.

Kheir had a rough, boozy charm -- somewhere between Humphrey Bogart and Omar Sharif. He was dressed elegantly, as always -- in this case, a cashmere blazer, a knit tie and a pair of what looked to be handmade English shoes.

The pasha told me a few stories, and others filled in the details: He made his name penetrating Palestinian extremist groups, such as the Abu Nidal organization. Once he had burrowed into the terrorists' lair, he was able to plant rumors and disinformation that set the group's members fighting among themselves. Before long, Abu Nidal's fraternity of killers had imploded in a frenzy of suspicion and self-destruction. I stole that idea for "Body of Lies."

Kheir researched his targets so thoroughly that he got inside their lives. A former CIA officer told me about one sublime pitch: Kheir tracked a jihadist to an apartment in Eastern Europe and handed him a cellphone, saying: "Talk to your mother." The man's mom was actually on the line, telling him he was a wonderful son for buying her a new TV and a couch and sending her money. "The spoken message was, 'We can do good things for you.' The unspoken message was, 'We can hurt you,' " explained the CIA officer. I took that scene, too, verbatim.

Like many Arab intelligence services, the GID has a reputation for using brutal interrogation methods, and I'm sure that it didn't get the nickname "the fingernail factory" for nothing. But Kheir's successes in interrogation often came from a different kind of intimidation. Colleagues recall him standing behind a suspect, his voice deep with menace, as he talked of the suspect's family, friends and contacts. That was much scarier than physical violence would have been. He waited for them to break themselves, and it usually worked.

Kheir ran afoul of his boss, King Abdullah, when he began pushing into politics and business. It was the classic overreach of intelligence chiefs in the Middle East, and he was sacked in 2005. His dismissal took a cruel toll: Kheir could be seen carousing late at night at his favorite restaurant in Amman, no longer a master of the universe or even, fully, master of himself. But in his prime, he was a genius, and it's hard to think of a foreigner who helped save more American lives than Saad Pasha.

This movie doesn't fit neatly into a genre: It's part action movie and part geo-political thriller, which I think irritated some viewers. But I really liked it. As a general rule, I like spy movies, Russell Crowe movies, and Ridley Scott movies. DiCaprio and Crowe were both great. As Ferris, DiCaprio really captured the essence of a well meaning idealist, who is working toward a better world, but is coming to realize that his day to day activities may not be consistent with his ultimate goals. Likewise, as Hoffman, Crowe was convincing as an amoral, ambitious, and disengaged beaurocrat whose main goal is getting his ticket punched at the expense of his subordinates and assets. However, the real star is Mark Strong as the suave, slippery, and ominous head of Jordanian security, Hani Salam. His performance was utterly convincing and really held the movie together.

If you're looking for a spy movie along the lines of Bond/Bourne or where the U.S. is the unambiguous agent of good and always right; then you may not like this. It's also not the America bashing fiesta that Syriana was. This movie is far more nuanced; Crowe's Hoffman is clearly flawed; DiCaprio's Ferris is conflicted and not sure who he can trust, and Strong's Hani is enigmatic and contradictory. In short, there are many ambiguities and unanswered questions, which is probably a more accurate depiction of the world of espionage. Although there is a lot of action in this movie (there are several car chases and several big explosions) the real story is about the relationships between the characters and how these relationships both further and interfere with their goals. Hani has two great ironic lines, delivered with the kind of dry certainty that sends a very clear, although very polite threat: that sum up the underlying conflict and ultimate theme of the movie: "I have one rule. Never lie to me." and "In this part of the world, friendship matters. It can save your life."

The movie did a good job of depicting both the sophistcation and limitations of the satellite technology used by US intelligance (and yes, our satellite technology can really do all that). But, as the very last few scenes illustrate, that technology is not very helpful without human intelligence.

Anytime Ridley Scott is behind the camera the viewer can be assured there will be gratuitous violence presented in a most convincing manner; if you're not squirming uncomfortably you aren't watching a Ridley Scott film. And such is very much the case with Scott's latest offering, BODY OF LIES, a taut, gripping, white-knuckle thriller set in the turbulent Middle East. Although the general story revolves around a CIA operative in Jordan trying to find a mastermind terrorist, the overall theme has to do with trust--in particular, the lack thereof between not only the CIA and other foreign intelligence services, but between operatives of the CIA itself.

I'm going to hate myself in the morning, but I am rapidly becoming a very big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. His role as CIA agent Roger Ferris--a role that takes him to several unpleasant locations and exposes him to constant danger--is gritty, believable, and nuanced as only DiCaprio can mould a character. He's frustrated by his CIA higher-ups, including superior Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), because of the constant roadblocks put in his path that prevents him from doing his job. And DiCaprio's Ferris also demonstrates that all this living on the edge is wearing him razor thin--and the thread's about to snap. Meanwhile Crowe is fun to watch as the chubby, aloof, almost disinterested "eye in the sky" following Ferris's movements on the ground; I got a kick out of him talking violent strategy with DiCaprio's character via bluetooth while he's loading his kids in the back of his station wagon. Priceless.

But Mark Strong as Jordanian intelligence czar Hani Salaam steals the show; he's a cold, calculating, scheming professional, and he's not hampered by the human rights issues of his American counterparts. And in the end he gets the ultimate "Gotcha!" moment--an ending in a showdown with a room full of terrorists and a scene not for the faint of heart. Less than five stars as the plot meanders needlessly at times, yet if it's a heart-pounding espionage thriller you're looking for BODY OF LIES will not disappoint.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning

Body of Lies is a story about a CIA operative played by Leonard Dicarprio and his boss, Ed Hoffman, played by Russell Crowe. Crowe gained about 40 lbs to play the middle-aged supervisor Hoffman who spends a good deal of time on a cellphone from CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia talking with Dicaprio's Roger Ferris who shuttles around the Mideast, principally in Iraq and Amman, Jordan. Ridley Scott, the director, makes use of pinpoint satellite images throughout the movie, suggesting that the CIA has the ability to spy on various targets closeup through the use of overhead drones. It's very cool looking but can they actually do that? I wonder.

Body of Lies is divided into three sequences, the first taking place in Iraq where Ferris attempts to make contact with an Iraqi who may or may not have information about Al Qaeda. The informant's cover is blown and Ferris is forced to shoot him to prevent the informant from being tortured and revealing Ferris's identity. The first sequence ends in an exciting shootout with militants in a rural area where Ferris obtains information regarding a safe house in Amman, Jordan.

The second sequence involves Ferris taking over CIA operations in Jordan. He meets with the Jordanian intelligence chief, Hani Salaam, played by the British actor, Mark Srong. Hani is depicted as urbane, highly competent and ruthless. He denies 'torturing' informants and when Ferris is brought in and observes them beating one of their own agents who hasn't followed orders, Hani tells Ferris that the operative is merely being "punished" not "tortured". Where Hani is smooth and calculating, Ferris's boss, Hoffman, the CIA chief, is depicted as impulsive and arrogant. He demands that Hani allow him to interrogate a contact, Karami, at the safe house who is already known to Jordanian intelligence. Hani adopts a patient approach and is content to leave Karami at the safe house and pry him later for intelligence.

After a terrorist bombing in Amsterdam, Hoffman feels compelled to get "results". Without telling Ferris, he orders some of his operatives to tail Karami. Somehow Karami's cover isn't blown but it's enough for the militants at the safe house to set it on fire and flee for parts unknown. Hani is angry at Ferris who denies knowing anything about what happened and is ordered out of Jordan.

The third sequence is the most implausible and weakest part of the movie. Hoffman and Ferris meet and Ferris comes up with an absurd plan to capture the terrorist they've been after, Al-Saleem. Inexplicably, Ferris, who has been opposed to Hoffman's amoral and impulsive methods, outdoes Hoffman when he suggests that they invent a terrorist to make Al-Saleem jealous. With the aid of a computer geek employed by the CIA, Ferris focuses on Omar Sadiki, a hapless Jordanian architect who is set up to be the next Bin Laden. Incredibly, they're able to convince Turkish officials to desecrate corpses obtained from a local morgue and use them as part of a plot to simulate a terrorist attack on an US Military facility. Meanwhile, Ferris has a change of heart and finally realizes that Sadiki is at risk to be killed by terrorists. After the simulated terrorist attack, the plot goes awry and Sadiki is killed by terrorists when they realize he's a harmless dupe.

I haven't mentioned that there is a romantic subplot in this movie. Ferris falls for an Iranian nurse, Aisha, after she treats him at a local clinic for dog bites. At the climax, she disappears and appears to be kidnapped. Ferris meets with the kidnappers who turn out to be Al-Saleem and his henchmen. As it turns out, the noble Hani was the one who grabbed Aisha all along and used Ferris so he could lead him to Al-Saleem. In a harrowing scene, Ferris is almost beheaded by Al-Saleem's goons but in pure Hollywood style, Hani and his agents burst in and prevent Ferris from being killed. Al-Saleem is also taken into custody.

In reading some postings on the internet, some residents of Jordan feel that 'Body of Lies' maligns their dear country. This I can't understand; true, not all the scenes depict the natural beauty of Jordan but hey this is a movie about terrorism and not a travelogue. What's more, Hani, is the real hero here--intelligent, smooth and cool-headed (one who 'punishes' and doesn't 'torture'). Unfortunately, the CIA once again gets short shrift. Just like in 'Traitor' and The Bourne series, the CIA are either bumbling idiots or Machiavellian schemers (or both).

Body of Lies has some nice cinematography and its greatest asset is the depiction of the Al Qaeda wannabe, Al-Saleem. He looks and sounds like the real thing and Ridley Scott correctly doesn't sugarcoat his terrorists. DiCaprio has a nice speech condemning Al-Saleem and his minions right before he's about to be beheaded.

Despite this, Body of Lies errs in sugarcoating the Jordanian intelligence service at the expense of the CIA. Are they so much better than the CIA in real life? I think they're built up in order to shoot the CIA down and it doesn't ring true. Furthermore, Body of Lies features the ugly suggestion that the CIA would take an innocent man and set him up to be killed by terrorists. Of course if you're a conspiracy theorist, then you'll believe the CIA is capable of anything. Body of Lies is a mildly interesting spy thriller. It's worth viewing once but due to its implausible moments and somewhat anti-American bent, I wouldn't watch it again.

Enjoyable romp, if somewhat unbelieveable at times, hard to think the Jordanian secret service is more effective than the CIA, but may be it is! Russell Crowe is brilliant at the seedy off the wall CIA controller, Leo is a bit over the top and basically appears to be reprising his Blood Diamond role.

At first I was not sure where the story was going, then I got plunged in a lot of intrigues and lies. Di Caprio and Crowe were superb! Would have liked for the story to continue!

If you like thrillers and packed action movies, this one is for you: you won't be disappointed.

Probably one of the better movies I have seen this year, a real sleeper hit with no doubt. I didn't hear too much about it when it came out, but glad I picked it up.