Synopsis:
Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a covert CIA
operative working in Jordan searching for
terrorists who have been bombing civilian
targets. Ferris uncovers information on the
Islamist mastermind Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul).
He devises a plan to infiltrate Al-Saleem's
terrorist network with the help of his boss back
in Langley, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Ferris
enlists the help of the Chief of Jordanian
Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong) on this
operation, but he doesn't know how far he can
trust him without putting his life in danger.
The uneasy alliance leads to a cultural and
moral clash between the men.
The Freak's
Rating: C- : Am I the only person on the
planet who will always see Leonardo DiCaprio as
the kid on Growing Pains who stole all the
Christmas presents? Apologies for the
reference to anyone who didn't watch the show.
DiCaprio had a stint as a runaway/homeless kid
on the 80s show for a brief time period.
My point is that DiCaprio still, at least in my
eyes, hasn't quite evolved past a pretty boy.
This is a problem many good looking actors and
actresses face. The public just doesn't
believe you're a tough guy Leo! The best
method is to break the mold. DiCaprio
passed on American Psycho, an amazingly dark
tale of a psychopath in New York City.
Christian Bale took the role and has never
looked back, turning out hit after hit.
Leo appears on a desperate trail of obtaining
respect in a serious role, but he continues to
let me down.
Billed as the teaming of DiCaprio and Crowe, the
film disappoints as the two only share about 5
minutes of screen time. Crowe is far and
away the better actor of the two, with Leo
determined to put off a tough guy image
throughout the film. Direction is tight
and cinematography is well done. When
tension is meant, it is accomplished and pacing
doesn't let up as necessary throughout the film.
Question...why do people hold phones differently
when attempting to make a point?
Microphones on cell phones are at the bottom of
the phone, beneath the numbers typically.
Holding the phone against your cheek
accomplishes the same level of volume that
putting it in front of your mouth does.
Each time in the film Leo is attempting to be
strong in his words (and he does so very often),
he forces the phone practically into his mouth
to speak louder into it. It is an action
that is incredibly distracting and full of
contrived machismo.
Body Of Lies is instantly forgettable,
regurgitating cliché after cliché and never
really hitting on anything new. Fans of
the genre may enjoy it, but if you're looking
for anything new, look elsewhere.
Brian's Rating: B- : Pretty good for a spy movie. It kept me entertained, and it was laid out well. The characters were mostly engaging, and all of the cast did a good job.
I don't share Scott's view that Di'Capprio did a terrible job. I thought he did a decent job playing the tough guy spy. He wasn't great, but then again, Russel Crowe wasn't all that great in this one either.
I put the movie into the recommendation grade because in the end, it was fun to watch. Nothing spectacular, but a good late night spy movie to watch if you get it in a Redbox or something.
