By Lindsay Christ
The tagline of the new Ridley Scott movie “Body of Lies,” is “Trust no one. Deceive Everyone.” It is fitting for a movie about the complexities of the War on Terror and forming alliances that aren’t built on trust, but rather necessity.
Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a CIA agent stationed in the Middle East. Fluent in Arabic and dedicated to his job, Ferris tries to infiltrate a terrorist group that is currently bombing civilians throughout Europe. After getting a tip stating that there was a large safe-house for the terrorists in Jordan, Ferris seeks out the Jordanian Chief of Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), and they form a delicate alliance that is tested throughout the film. To add to the hostility is Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), Ferris’ boss who has a tendency to act rashly and make matters worse for everyone.
The cast is well put together, though the characters are so strong that it would be hard for them not to be. Ferris, the protagonist, is everything a CIA agent should be and DiCaprio is able to take all of Ferris’ knowledge and street smarts to portray a human who is conflicted between two cultures instead of a superhero.
Strong plays Salaam, the Jordanian Chief who is shrewd but also struggling with who he can trust, for he knows all too well that alliances don’t mean full disclosure. This creates an unusual bond between himself and Ferris, who also knows what it is like to be undermined by someone on his side.
Crowe stands out as Hoffman, the out-of-touch, overweight CIA boss who gives orders from his cell phone earpiece while watching his kid’s soccer game back home in the States. He seems to represent the ignorance of America regarding the Middle East, and while it seems like he has some clue of what’s going on at the beginning of the film, it becomes more apparent as time passes that he is merely a figurehead who gets in the way.
Both Crowe and Strong bring hues of humor throughout the film that make their characters more complex and likeable. Even though audience members know that Hoffman causes most of the problems throughout the film, one can’t help but chuckle when he makes atrocious statements like, “Ain’t nobody likes the Middle East, buddy. There’s nothing here to like .”
The movie, based on a book of the same name by David Ignatius, is fast paced yet easy to follow, though sometimes overly graphic. These scenes are unfortunately necessary to give audience members a taste of what is going on right in that area.
“Lies” is able to capture the fear and uncertainty that comes with fighting an unrelenting terrorist group and, because this is a real issue, makes it even more frightening than any horror movie.
Scott directs a movie that needs to be seen by the American people because, like Hoffman, being far away from a war zone can make one detached and insensitive to the horrifying realness that is a reality for those in the Middle East.
Grade: B+

(allmoviephoto.com)