Body Of Lies (DVD)

Roger Ferris is an undercover CIA agent who does his best to form allies wherever he is, and works for the good of not only America but the world. Ed Hoffman is his boss in America, someone who doesn't believe in long term benefits and just wants the quick victory. Ferris manages to forge a relationship with high up Jordanian head of Intelligence Hani Salaam, and also begins a flirtation with Jordanian nurse Aisha. But Hoffman's impatience puts Ferris ...
...escape this... who can he trust now?

We were on a visit to my mum and dad's when we watched this film, as its not normally the sort of thing that either me or my fiance would be interested in watching. I tend to steer clear of these war/political movies because I find them uncomfortable to watch, but my mum persuaded us to give it a go, and so we did. We certainly didn't expect to thoroughly enjoy it, and this is definitely thanks ... more

Roger Ferris is an undercover CIA agent who does his best to form allies wherever he is, and works for the good of not only America but the world. Ed Hoffman is his boss in America, someone who doesn't believe in long term benefits and just wants the quick victory. Ferris manages to forge a relationship with high up Jordanian head of Intelligence Hani Salaam, and also begins a flirtation with Jordanian nurse Aisha. But Hoffman's impatience puts Ferris in mortal danger and Ferris is unsure how he can escape this... who can he trust now?

We were on a visit to my mum and dad's when we watched this film, as its not normally the sort of thing that either me or my fiance would be interested in watching. I tend to steer clear of these war/political movies because I find them uncomfortable to watch, but my mum persuaded us to give it a go, and so we did. We certainly didn't expect to thoroughly enjoy it, and this is definitely thanks to the brilliant performance by Leonardo DiCaprio who makes this film what it is - fantastic.

I haven't seen DiCaprio in a film for so, so long - possibly not since Titanic actually! Back then, he was a babyfaced youngster who had young girls swooning over him the world over, and rightly so!! His role as a hard-faced CIA officer in this movie was as far removed from Jack Dawson as you could get, but it really seemed to suit him. DiCaprio has bulked up for this film, and clearly learnt Arabic to a good standard as he seemed very believable speaking it, and the role seemed to suit him. I was mesmerised watching him and found him acting as the torn undercover agent simply brilliant, he portrayed the emotions you would expect from someone in that job with such realism that I was almost feeling it along with him.

Russell Crowe stars opposite DiCaprio as the other big name in this film, but we don't see all that much of him over the 2 hour duration. His character is incredibly arrogant, the sort of person you can easily hate because he is in it for personal glory, never mind the men risking their lives on the ground day in, day out. Crowe adds some needed light relief to the film, and balances out DiCaprio's intensity well. The pair are rarely seen together but still they work well and I enjoyed the role Hoffman, although it did make me wonder how many real life Hoffman's there are in the CIA!

The other stand-out role for me was Mark Strong as Jordanian Hani Sallaam. He is intent on forming a trusting relationship with Ferris who is eager to reciprocate but can see trouble brewing with Hoffman's involvement. I didn't know what emotion or action to expect from Salaam one scene to the next, and I felt Strong delivers a fabulous performance here, a man not be crossed but to be trusted in the right circumstances. He was incredibly charismatic, and for an English actor he puts on an Arabic accent very well and definitely is a close second for best performance after DiCaprio.

I wasn't aware until after I had seen it that this film is actually based on a book of the same name (although originally titled Penetration) by David Ignatius. Clearly I haven't read it as it isn't my genre, but I would be interested to find out how it compares to the book. It is definitely a film that is relevant in the current climate of the world at the moment, and it definitely gives you a glimpse of how precarious life is for these men and women who infiltrate the countries in trouble and how just a few fanatics can reek havoc for millions. The plot is easy to follow, but you have to pay attention when you watch this and keep track of the names and faces to follow the twists and turns.

You can't watch a film like this and not expect some violence, and this film certainly has that. There are a lot of gun crimes in the movie, and please be aware there are some scenes of torture as well. I found these uncomfortable to watch in parts and had to turn away, but they weren't out of place or unexpected, I just prefer not to view these things if possible! Most of the violence was within my level of acceptable, nothing I haven't seen before but just be aware that some of it does get quite strong. The action sequences were incredibly fast paced and thrilling, and well directed by Ridley Scott. Speaking of direction, I think this movie is done very well, its not too confusing, moves at a good pace but doesn't delve too far into the issues that you begin to get bogged down with the politics.

Considering this was something that I didn't want to watch, I was totally captivated by this film and incredibly impressed by it. Both DiCaprio and Strong put in fantastic performances that keep you hooked for the 2 hours of this film, and the twists and turns along the way keep you guessing. The film was shot in Morocco (as opposed to the films setting of Jordan due to refusal by official bodies) but it was believable as Jordan and added a real authenticity to the film and I enjoyed this. The whole film was very watchable and enjoyable, although I can see it may have been unpopular with certain audiences due to its political standing, but I just enjoyed it for what it was! Recommended.

Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: William Monahan (screenplay) / David Ignatius (novel_
Running Time: 128 minutes
Certificate: 15
Amazon price (Sept. 2009): £5.98

Main Cast:
Leonardo DiCaprio ... Roger Ferris
Russell Crowe ... Ed Hoffman
Mark Strong ... Hani Salaam
Golshifteh Farahani ... Aisha
Ali Suliman ... Omar Sadiki
Kais Nashif ... Mustafa Karami

Thank you for reading.

 

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