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.

Green Zone

2010, Rated R, 115 minutes Directed by Paul Greengrass, Written by Brian Helgeland, based on the book Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Produced by Lisa Chasin & Debra Hayward, Cinematography by Barry Akroyd, Original Music by John Powell

With: Yigal Naor (General Al Rawi), Matt Damon (Miller), Amy Ryan (Lawrie Dayne), Greg Kinnear (Clark Poundstone), Brendan Gleeson (Martin Brown), Jason Isaacs (Briggs)

In an attempt to distance the movie from the war in the Iraq box office curse, Universal decided to market Green Zone as a movie with that director from Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum, and Jason Bourne in the US army; the only problem is the movie does not really compare with any of the Bourne series and so draws viewers in with false expectations...at least that is what happened to me.