Review: Body of Lies

Body of Lies is a curiously mixed bag of a ‘current’ thriller from Ridley Scott. Set in the tangled web of America’s war of terror in the Middle East, the film is strangely distant from its protagonists and antagonists, divesting the film of any strong emotional core.

Opening like Spooks on steroids with a botched raid on a terrorist safehouse in Manchester, action soon centres on Leonardo DiCaprio’s CIA agent, run on an almost entirely virtual basis by a complacent, corpulent Russell Crowe. DiCaprio’s agent is torn between loyalty to the CIA and to his opposite number in the Jordanian investigation bureau (a great turn by Mark Strong), and by his own growing moral concerns about how America chooses to take the fight to the terrorists – and yet he is no innocent.

There is marked mirroring, as characters up and down the chain of command use each other: Crowe using DiCaprio, DiCaprio using Strong, and Strong using DiCaprio, etc. Inevitably, DiCaprio gets in above his head. If the finale is welcome, while not entirely right in the light of the realistic bent of the film, the ensuing coda brings us back down to earth.

Ridley’s bravura visuals are present throughout, but that oft-mentioned failing of his – an inability to tell a story – remains evident here too. The story is too complex (although that could be taken as being simply realistic), set in too many theatres of operation, with too much spy jargon getting in the way of progressing the story.

The overall politics of the piece are uncomfortable as well: while America comes in for a load of criticism in its handling of the Middle East ‘situation’ (to quote DiCaprio’s character), the Middle East and all its people are painted as potential terrorists, their funders and sympathisers.

Nevertheless, there are many scenes to enjoy, notably when there’s hardware involved or the delicately etched budding relationship between DiCaprio and the Iranian nurse he takes a shine too – and the reaction of her sister and neighbours.

Ultimately Body of Lies is a more action-packed, less overtly left-wing version of Syriana – and joins the growing list of war on terror movies that have flopped at the US box office.
Score: 6.5