In particular, for a white American screenwriter's work, this is incredibly perceptive and understanding of how Jordanians act and feel. He tells a solid, wonderfully entertaining story, without the need to drive home its message with sledgehammer subtlety after all, very few things are black and white. The movie confirms what I've known for a long time: Ridley Scott apparently can do no wrong. The movie isn't perfect, and there's a key scene at the end which feels very didactic and heavy-handed although judging by the twentysomethings who left the theater talking about how cool one of the torture scenes was, even a message delivered this bluntly just isn't getting into their thick skulls , but it somehow gets away with being an enjoyable genre piece and a genuinely thought-provoking and perceptive film but not one which focuses on these elements to the point of being overbearing , with actual understanding of mid-eastern politics and culture, wonderfully involving characters including the refreshingly non-sexual love interest Aisha, played by Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani , and even a surprising sense of humor. One thing's for sure if anybody can, Ridley Scott can.
. The plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse. Leonardo DiCaprio has really grown up and cast off his annoying persona, which was so prominent in just about all his movies; until 'Blood Diamond' came along. But oh, how that's all changed now. It's more of spy thriller with a cautionary tale on America's foreign relations mixed in. Satellites and cell phones, bodies and lies: modern warfare.
Ed plays the situation like a kid playing a video game, and has the resources to change the rules anytime he feels like it, dispensing his orders from his office, from his backyard, from his daughter's soccer game, for Pete's sake! The gentle and understated romance element provided by Golshifteh Farahani as 'Aisha' provided a nice contrast to the testosterone-soaked male world in which this drama plays out. Leo was the shine, he is such a talented actor and I was happy to see him in a great role. His performance is just the right side of slightly hammy, and works wonderfully well. It was a very well made film, dialog and script were good, just nothing really stood out and grabbed me. When Hani rebukes Ed's demand that Jordan allow the Americans to use one of Jordan's double agents, Roger and Ed hatch a plan to bring the cleric to them. A lesser director would have gotten less convincing performances from his lead actors. One minor complaint is the pacing of the film.
But it does help if you have the help of two of the biggest actors in Hollywood at the moment, those being Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe who has worked with Scott on two previous films, Gladiator and A Good Year. Satellites and cell phones, bodies and lies: modern warfare. Satellites and cell phones, bodies and lies: modern warfare. Crowe and Strong, down to Golshifteh Farahani as Aisha, the nurse DiCaprio is drawn to and especially Oscar Isaac who plays Bassam, DiCaprio's go-to guy for information. There are twists and turns and it's a lot of fun. I just wish the plot had something fantastic in it to make it into a great film. For this and other reviews, please check out www.
He gets his orders from Ed Hoffman Crowe , a man for whom results are the only satisfactory outcome, delivered with a fair amount of arrogance and a cocky Southern drawl. Just like KoH, it's all about even-handedness and realizing that 1 every side in a conflict has a point of view, which, to itself, is perfectly valid; and 2 every side has people you'd probably like and some you really wouldn't, 3 the way to peace lies with understanding 1 and 2 ; and not with having just one point of view, no matter how righteous it may appear. It's a remarkably vivid, real portrait, and considering Hollywood's past of portraying Arabs generally in a 'dem Ayrabs, we America' way, which completely ignored the basic dress and attitude of real Arabs, something like this is refreshing. But Ridley Scott is not a lesser director. However, this one was quite forgettable.
There are scenes where the film gets really dark and serious, and they completely work as well. Films involving 'current events'--particularly those relating to anything happening in the Middle East and Terrorism--tend to be soaked in the writers', producers' and director's politics, which usually end up very much in-your-face and spoil the film, because you suddenly lose the story and drown in the preaching and proselytizing. The plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse. What follows is the push and pull between the three men's methodology on capturing the terrorist. Thing is, you can't leave politics out of a political movie; and so what do you do? After a mishap jeopardizes Farris lead, he teams up with Hani Mark Strong , a charismatic and enigmatic, Jordanian covert operations official. Russell Crowe is basically a secondary character, eclipsed almost completely by DiCaprio and Mark Strong. This, of course, infuriates Ferris to no end, because he is the one who is in the trenches, chasing the bad guys, dodging bullets, ducking explosions, and procuring the badly-needed intelligence that Hoffman needs.
Ferris uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader potentially operating out of Jordan, and chooses to act on it, involving Jordanian intelligence leader Hani Salam, played brilliantly by Mark Strong. It's the question the audience may ponder during the course of this film where it seems that even those on the same team aren't always working in each other's best interests. There was no work there, just a message the filmmaker wanted to send. I don't know if Body of Lies will end up breaking through the barrier that every movie in this genre couldn't; but for what it's worth, I hope it does. Ferris is also trying to build a productive working relationship with the head of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam Mark Strong , a relationship that is made even more tenuous by Hoffman's double-dealings and hidden agendas. But the performances are excellent from DiCaprio; who is the only actor his age who could tackle this role with the any type credibility and depth. As he adjusts his plans it feels as if the story starts back from the top.
But the week after someone asked what movie I saw and I couldn't remember. When Hani rebukes Ed's demand that Jordan allow the Americans to use one of Jordan's double agents, Roger and Ed hatch a plan to bring the cleric to them. And most of all, he gets electric performances from Crowe and DiCaprio, whose symbiotic relationship with a thinly-veiled veneer of mutual contempt is a pleasure to watch. The plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse. Both, Islamophobes and Islamophiles--or those on the extremes of any aspect of the political spectrum--will probably find ample elements to dislike about this film. It's a movie with a questionable, sketchy premise and damn good execution. All of this, rather profound, stuff is wrapped up in a gritty Ridley Scott production and direction, that keeps your full attention for its full 2+ hours.