Review: Body of Lies

Spy vs. Spy

Ridley Scott is truly, without a doubt, one of the most gifted filmmakers that has ever lived. For years, he has given us magnificent films ranging from the superbly suspenseful Alien, the visually arresting Blade Runner, the great comedy Thelma & Louise, the intense action epic Black Hawk Down and the grand masterpiece of Gladiator, which claimed the prize as 2000's Best Picture. He's fantastic, but I must lament that he's been disappointing me lately. He's only making good films. They're not great, just good. One might not think that's a bad thing, but comparing that list of films to Kingdom of Heaven, A Good Year and American Gangster can make one feel a little sad for this fantastic director. This particular film isn't the absolute best from Scott, but I will say that it is pretty damn good.

The film centers on Roger Farris (Leonardo DiCaprio). Farris is a CIA operative sent into Jordan to help track a prolific terrorist that has claimed responsibility for several attacks across Europe. While he is there, he is constantly in contact with his superior back in the states, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe, who gained 60 pounds and a Southern accent for this role). The two of them go after each other, always bickering but retaining some level of respect for each other. The two are bumbered by a Jordan royalty figure (Mark Strong) who works with Farris on the condition that he remains cooperative with his rules as well.

Walking into this film, I was very surprised at how Scott was able to remind me of his roots. Black Hawk Down gave further proof that Scott is more than proficient in action films, and many scenes back that notion up here. Scott isn't at the very top form here, but he still manages to craft the story very convincingly. William Monahan, the Oscar-winning writer of The Departed, sets up the story a little weary in the beginning, as the film has a difficult time setting up a cohesive narrative. Then, after the film's first major battle scene, the story expands out into the different characters. I don't think Monahan is a real reason the film works. His script is very cryptic at times, and the scenes are aided more by Scott's direction of his actors than the framing of the dialogue.

On that note, Crowe is the film's greatest asset. Many people know of him as a heroic leading man, but here he gets to show off his uncanny ability to portray himself as a magnificent character actor. He dedication to the role is very convincing. DiCaprio has always been an actor that I think was much better than was said about him (I personally named him Best Actor in 2006 for The Departed), but he's never glowingly amazing here. He's very good, but standing up to a very impressive Crowe doesn't help his case. There is also a great performance from, as I can only predict, a forgotten Mark Strong, who adds a bit more sophistication and intrigue within the story.

Still, the movie always feels it's on the brink of being a truly great film. The beginning's difficulty to be a successful narrative is one problem, but a bigger one is the film's implant of a love story between Farris and an Iranian nurse he meets. The set up is interesting, but they usually lead to scenes that feel forced for comedy (a dinner scene) or they present very preachy messages in a film that tries to stay away from those types of topics. The love story isn't completely meaningless to the plot, and it's interesting the way Monahan tracks the development of this segway, but I felt it ultimately pushed the film into territory that could have either been eliminated or altered.

It's been a long time since I've liked a Ridley Scott film this much. It's not a great masterpiece, but it's one that has his style throughout and is gifted with a great cast. The story structure isn't the best, but its tale keeps you mostly engaged from beginning to end, although I would think that the ending needed a Blade Runner: Director's Cut style ending that implies more ambiguity. I don't think this will get Scott his long overdue Oscar, but it makes a great case that we'll have something in the future. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: B+