Lies and Deceit

Body of Lies

Ever since the events of September 11, stories involving Middle Eastern terrorists have become hot subjects for movies. Body of Lies, the latest film by Ridley Scott is one of them. Based on the best-selling book by David Ignatius, the story focuses on young U.S. Intelligence agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is sent to hunt down notorious jihad terrorist Al-Saleem. Lots of lies and deceit are involved in the race to capture him. Watching over Ferris (using various spy equipment) and giving him instructions is middle-aged CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) who also works from the comfort of his home, doing household chores and managing his children.

Ferris speaks Arabic and is well accustomed to the cultures of the Middle Eastern folk. He knows that here your life is only worth the information you hold. The man he is after, Al-Saleem is an obvious reference to Osama bin Laden. Ferris figures that Al-Saleem’s ego would not tolerate a new player in the field, so by utilising technology he fabricates a rival terrorist out of an innocent architect, hoping to lure him out into the open. He also seeks the help of Jordanian security head Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), a brilliant man who takes loyalty very seriously.

Something that might bother many is how capable Ferris is. It’s quite difficult to imagine how a lone person would be able to perform the tasks he does, creating a fictitious terrorist organisation, surviving gunfights, bombings, rabid dogs and even torture in three different countries. But then again, this is Hollywood after all. Ridley Scott doesn’t disappoint when it comes to action. Explosions, gunfights and chases should keep action buffs interested while a short romance between Ferris and Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani), a Middle Eastern nurse prove interesting but lack depth. A nice touch is the awkwardness involved when they are together, perhaps because a relationship between a local and a Westerner is considered a no-no.

Body of Lies may serve as an entertaining spy-thriller flick, but it lacks a certain something to make it a really good movie. This could be because the movie tries to cram too much into what is essentially a political spy-thriller, plus a hero performing superhuman feats.

PS: There is so much swearing in this movie that the censorship board just gave up and let it be. LOL! And wait till you see that cringe-worthy torture scene towards the end...

2.5 out of 5 Stars