Terrorist thriller film far from explosive
Filled with big explosions and enough deception to make the Bush administration look clean, “Body of Lies” is a very complicated yet somewhat meaningless high-profile thriller.
Based on Washington Post columnist David Ignatius’s 2007 novel, “Body of Lies” follows covert CIA operative Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio, “Blood Diamond”) in his hunt to capture a major terrorist operating in Jordan. With the help of his boss, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe, “American Gangster”) and the Chief of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong, “Babylon A.D.”), Ferris tries to infiltrate the terrorist network in order to get closer to lead terrorist Al-Saleem. With very few allies, Ferris quickly learns that trust is something best earned in person.
In light of recent films, Hollywood has all but announced that its new favorite word is mediocrity. Sweeping the land at fast pace, mediocrity has hit even the most innovative of filmmakers. It is my sad duty to report to you today that “Body of Lies,” directed by three-time Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott, is riddled with the foul stench of, you guessed it, mediocrity.
Over the past few years, audiences have been subjected to dozens of terrorist-themed thrillers. While some have made a splash in the market through clever marketing (“Vantage Point” and “The Kingdom”), most have sunk to the bottom levels of the box office (“Rendition” and “United 93”) due to the American audience’s disdain for the subject matter.
“Body of Lies” finds itself somewhere in the middle of these two situations.
There is honestly little wrong with this film except the story, which is just not that exciting. Even the Academy Award winning screenwriter of “The Departed,” William Monahan was not able to pump a much-needed sense of originality into the screenplay.
With his famous high-tech style film, director Ridley Scott creates an extremely visually-appealing film. Using satellite imagery and dark tones, viewers get to experience what it would be like to spend a day in a CIA mission room. Along with the imagery, Scott pushes the film along at a quick pace, even if the two hour and fifteen minute runtime is a bit excessive.
As a real life Jason Bourne, DiCaprio is as solid as ever, without really bringing anything new to the table. Whether he is fighting off ravenous dogs or negotiating with Iranians in their native tongue, he creates a very believable and, most importantly, likeable character.
Crowe’s character on the other hand is the one that brings depth to the movie. Combine an overweight family man with a dash of Tommy Lee Jones, only more deceiving, and you have Crowe’s authoritative figure in the film. Neither the good guy nor the bad guy, Crowe action’s in the film keeps the audience guessing.
In a similar fashion as last week’s unsatisfying western “Appaloosa,” “Body of Lies” enters the market as an exciting idea filled with big stars, but ultimately disappoints by not living up to the cast’s illustrious resumes.
‘Body of Lies’
Release Date: Oct. 10
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: R for strong violence including some torture and for language throughout.
Grade: C+
Jay Brissenden can be reached at jbrissenden@nevadasagebrush.com
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on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 12:10 am and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, Film Reviews, Vibe.
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October 17th, 2008 at 8:01 am
perfect opening line - great hook
October 18th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Apparently Ridley Scott enjoys working with Russell Crowe; and he likes to make movies that raise international awareness (i’m thinking Blackhawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven)… that’s a good thing i’d say