The movie sucks you in for the most part, but kind of loses you when it gets to the romance between DiCaprio and a local nurse. There is plenty of realistic action and suspense in the film and there isn't much of either the annoying 'quick edit' or 'camera shake' technique that is so popular in films lately. He gives a powerful and convincing performance. Besides DiCaprio, a big hero and focal point in the film is Mark Strong (who reminded me a hell of a lot of Andy Garcia) as the Jordanian Chief of Intelligence. Russel Crowe put on a bunch of weight for his performance and is excellent as usual. Ridley Scott gives us an excellent sense of what a close up view of the war on terrorism is like - not only from the point of view of government officials but more intimately, from the 'men on the ground.' Between his performance in Blood Diamond and this film, Leo DiCaprio has actually made the transition from bright-faced young man in Titanic to what I would call a 'real man.' Sure, they still seem to feel the need to put a beard on him to make him look older, but he surprises me with a screen presence that harkens back to old-school leading men. Unfortunately Ferris not only doesn't know how far he can trust Salaam, but cannot trust Hoffman either - both of which could put his life in danger. Ferris takes over the local CIA office and engages the help of the Chief of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong) on the operation.

Ferris devises a plan to infiltrate Al-Saleem's terrorist network with the help of his boss back in Washington D.C., Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). In Jordan he uncovers information about Islamist radical leader Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul). He works in the Middle East and ends up in Jordan searching for terrorists who have been bombing European civilian targets. In Body of Lies, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Roger Ferris, a CIA covert operative whose background is never divulged.

Some of it was based on my personal views, but some of it was not. In that regard I was not disappointed, but while it was quite riveting - some aspects of the story did bug me. And Crowe is arrogant but compelling in a role that has him dispensing murderous orders while at his child's soccer game buffet and swinging by school for a drop off.My impression of Body of Lies based on the commercials and trailers was that it was going to be a taught, intense thriller - much more grounded in reality than your typical spy movie.

DiCaprio is intense, but his Titanic-like charms add much-needed levity when he comes a-courting at his beloved physician's home. Or at least one that illuminates or adds depth to what we already know - from the news and from other movies that have taken on the subject - about the war on terror.īut Body of Lies does do one thing perfectly: give viewers a chance to see two fine actors go toe to toe. Although it offers a fascinating (if labyrinthine) look at the intricacies of running covert operations, in the end, it focuses too much on serving up stylized fare when all we really long for is a good, old-fashioned spy movie. But couple that with the movie's nearly unrelenting violence (bombs exploding, machine guns firing, bodies bleeding) and you end up with a thriller that flirts dangerously with being overdone (this is not a film for anyone prone to migraines). The quick camera cuts and the rough, gritty terrain add to the pressure. The tension begins from the first moment and rarely lets up in Ridley Scott's BODY OF LIES.

Body of lies movie scenes