Not enough brains nor brawn

MOVIE: Body Of Lies

Certification: R

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Oscar Isaac, Ali Suliman

Director: Ridley Scott

Genre: Thriller, Drama

RIDLEY SCOTT, the director who brought us great movies like Gladiator, Matchstick Men, Alien and Blade Runner to name a few; is dipping his hands into a post September-11 war movie.

And the result has been lukewarm even with the super team-up between Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, who is starring in a Ridley Scott's movie for the fourth time now and with a fifth one coming next year.

Crowe plays Ed Hoffman, a CIA agent who masterminds the operations in the Middle East from his comfortable office back in the United States. Although a family man with family values, he is ruthless and sees everyone as a pawn in the bigger scheme of things.

Taking orders from Hoffman is DiCaprio's Roger Ferris, a very capable agent who has strong ties with the locals in the Middle East. His fluency in Arabic, understanding in the local culture, reputation in covert operations and his streetwise brings him to the good graces of the Jordanian intelligence leader, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), another ruthless player who will not tolerate dishonesty.

But does Ed Hoffman has his agent's best interests at heart? Operating another gung-ho side mission within the same agenda and potentially endangering Ferris' hard-earned trust with the Jordanian partner, Salaam, Hoffman does not care whose bad side he goes on, as long as the end justifies the mean.

So things are bound to take a wrong turn with both CIA agents trying to do their job and getting it done in their own way. The situation further complicates itself when Ferris' new love interest, Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani), turns into a pawn as well.

Based on the novel by David Ignatius, a Washington Post journalist who specialises in Middle East affairs, and adapted by The Departed Oscar-writer renowned William Monahan; Body Of Lies shows some authentic background insights by Ignatius to the world of the Middle East. And Scott does well in bringing them onto the big screen.

But what this movie truly lacks in becoming a great film is in the storyline. There isn't anything particularly interesting or special about it. As a thriller, it's not all that thrilling. And it's not awfully intelligent like Syriana, nor is it action-packed enough to be all that exciting - although Scott does bring in some hard hitting stuff when there's a call for it but there's less than a handful of those scenes.

The romance between Ferris and Aisha feels more like an obligatory event in which such a story could have done without. The moment their friendship blossoms, the story seems to take a downward turn and loses its original sparkle that has guided the movie so far. Had the focus of the story been on the men only, I wonder if the movie would have a better and stronger ending.

Salaam's screentime together with Ferris provides some of the most memorable moments in the movie. And their intimate yet cautious relationship will keep you guessing who will do the backstabbing first, as similar as the relationship between Ferris and Hoffman's and Crowe looks like he's enjoying his role outside the limelight.

DiCaprio on the other hand, although his acting is still top notched, but his character does not give him the kind of depth and complexity that his previous characters did, like in Blood Diamond, The Departed or The Aviator. But there's still no doubt that he is one of the best actors for his age.

Don't get me wrong now, Body Of Lies is still an entertaining piece. The execution is all there with impressive explosions and a compelling torture scene that needed to be censored out. It's just that you would expect more.

Reviewer's Rating: 7 / 10

The Brunei Times