Body of Lies

2008, Rated R, 128 minutes, Directed by Ridley Scott, Produced by Ridley Scott, Written by William Monahan, based on the novel by David Ignatius, Cinematography by Alexander Witt, Original Music by Marc Streinfeld

With: Leonardo DiCaprio (Roger Ferris), Russell Crowe (Ed Hoffman), Mark Strong (Hani) Golshifteh Farahani (Aisha), Oscar Isaac (Bassam)

Many, myself included, will always be interested in the inner workings of the CIA and its operatives. We have so many questions that can never be officially answered and so we are left to answer them with our imagination and of course Hollywood. Body of Lies dives deep into a post 9/11 world and explores the working relationship between an operative on the ground in the Middle East and his figurative and literal overseer glued to giant screens at home. Ridley Scott does an excellent job of creating a grand scale spy thriller with an intensity that keeps you glued up to the credits.

The overarching premise is simple: Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a CIA operative trying to root out jihadists in the Middle East. His nearly every move is watched by his boss, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) at home through cell phones and various means of covert video surveillance. Ferris travels all over the Middle East but spends a good deal of his time in Jordan where he is helped by the head of Jordanian security, Hani (Mark Strong). Working together and separately they try to find and capture Al Saleem, the head of a terrorist organization. The movie twists and turns, there are double and triple crossings and you can never really know who to trust.

The story is told mainly through the perspective of Ferris on the ground. We get to see how decisions made 1000s of miles away affect his life and his mission. Through his eyes we explore a world where fighting terrorism has taken a new turn where intelligence gathering only come from operatives. The terrorists, as Hoffman so adeptly explains for us near the beginning of the film, have gone electronically silent. They have learned that anything done over air waves, sound waves or computers can easily be tracked. They have reverted back to old ways of communication and disseminate information only through personal contact. To know what is going on, the CIA has to rely on their eyes in the field to track their every move; at least that is how the United States does it. Hani presents a counterpoint in fighting terrorism: he relies on alliances, and undercover operatives deep inside. He manipulates people and even tortures them to obtain the information he needs to stay one step ahead of the terrorists. 

The movie does a great job of evolving with DiCaprio’s character. It reveals little beyond what Ferris experiences and really demonstrates an exceptional amount of growth and attachment to the character. It does an excellent job of commenting on a big theme of combatting terrorism through the lessons and experiences of a singular man. There is so much going on in the Middle East, yet Body of Lies lets you experience it in manageable doses and while broad in scope never overwhelms.

Ridley Scott was in his element for this film. He took a big idea and created a thriller that was grand in scope yet singularly focused so that it was easy to follow. Even though there were no huge battle scenes like in Gladiator or Black Hawk Down, this still felt like a big movie with its overarching camerawork and multiple locations. Scott did well to film at locations sites as it gave the movie a very realistic feel.

Scott also gave the Middle East more of a face than many of the previous movies. Unlike movies such as Traitor, the depiction of life in the Middle East was not just about terrorists. Body of Lies gets more personally involved in the culture through Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani), a nurse that Ferris visits and begins to pursue. Through their realationship we are given more of a picture of people in the culture. We get an insight into a cross-cultural relationship as Ferris can only go to her house for lunch if a chaperone is present and she refuses to shake his hand because of the rules she follows. This subplot gives the viewer a nice break from the intensity of fighting terrorism but at the same time intrigues and informs.

The actors do an excellent job in their role. Russell Crowe, who put on 50 pounds for the role fit perfectly as the conniving and manipulative beauracratic overseer in the film. His detachment from emotion in heated situations was a sight to see. Watching him order an execution over his cell phone while dropping his kids off at school at the same time was a sight to see and he played that part so well. There was so much said but unspoken when he would peer over his glasses to examine a person. His on the ground counterpart, Leonardo DiCaprio played an excellent less experienced but determined operative. You could see his frustration and confusion come out when he would get orders from above that seemed to contradict his instincts. He played the role of conflicted frontman so well as he tried to decide what was best when he was getting different information from different sources. Yet he was confident and determined in his role. Mark Strong (Hani) stole ever scene he was in as the cool and calculating yet brutal Jordanian intelligence head. Strong was able to blend the suave demeanor with his confident and calculating personality (a note on Mark Strong: he has taken me by surprise with his superb acting talent. He has had a role in the past three movies I have reviewed and also Kick Ass and with each character he plays his role near flawlessly. he is also a very hard worker. His imdb page shows that he has had a role in 25 movies since 2005. I look forward to seeing him in future movies as he is a truly talented actor.) While there was only one instance in the movie, when the three of them were in a room together, the stars really shined as the different personalities clashed and worked together.

Body of Lies is an excellently done thriller. It is grand in scale yet focused in scope. It does not try to take on too much but at the same time it invites analysis and discussion. Scott examines the culture of the Middle East and the counterterrorism tactics of the CIA and Jordanian security in a way that is in depth, surprising, entertaining and thought provoking. In an interview with real.com DiCaprio praised the film as “politically charged but highly entertaining at the same time...it allows for a secondary conversation of the issues.” I could not have said it better myself.

A

Content Advisory

there is strong violence throughout including some torture and language throughout

Food for thought/discussion

1. In one discussion Hani says “you Americans are incapable of secrets because of your democracy.” What does he mean by this and what comment does it make about democracy?

2. What does the movie have to say about Middle Eastern culture and society?

3. How does DiCaprio’s character grow in the film? What do you think he learns from his experiences?

4. What does the film have to say about the nature of the battle against terrorism?