I just got back from my favorite AMC theater. Body of Lies is a tense, seemingly authentic, and exciting adventure. The action never lets up and lots of things get blown up, but to a purpose.
Beautifully photographed in 2.35:1, the surround sound is dynamic and exciting. I guess you could say the casting was really the only issue I had with the film - I just feel they went with name stars who were pretty much guaranteed to pull the box office numbers, versus actors who would have been just as good in those roles and would have been more convincingly cast as these characters.
Sir Ridley Scott still has it at age 70 - this is a tightly scripted and effective action/thriller. I count it among Scott's top half-dozen films (Blade Runner, Alien, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Body of Lies). Photography and sound were just about perfect - the man can make good movies. Let me venture a guess that Scott may have sold this film as an anti-war-on-terror film to some studio or distributor. But to my mind, that is no more true than it was in Black Hawk Down - which I still rate higher than this film - but the message is, this one is worth the time. Likewise you may hear some offhand comments from Scott as part of the film's publicity - he's known for such, but he's just firing for effect, stirring up interest in his work and maximizing his ROI.
Reccomended for action junkies. Overall an A-, only because I had trouble accepting DiCaprio as an Arab and Crowe as an American. They both gave excellant performances but the casting could have been better.
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as an American CIA agent of Arab ancestry who is covertly tracking an Al Quaeda bigwig in Jordan. Russell Crowe stars as his "handler", safely pursuing the life of a work-at-home Soccer Dad and making ill-timed and inappropriate decisions that place the frontline agent in peril.
The plot is believable. The gunplay is believable. Lots of stuff gets blown up, but to a purpose that serves the plot.
"Moral Equivalency" never enters into it. The Americans, Europeans, Jordanians, and Palestinians depicted in the film all detest the Al Quaeda character who is undeniably and convincingly depicted as an evil villian. At one point the villian slams a hammer down and smashes DiCaprios fingers, saying "Welcome to Guantanamo". Some interpret this - incorrectly IMHO, as drawing a moral equivalence between the two sides of the War on Terror. I don't care about the Guantanamo line, in fact I immediately discounted it as something the bad guy would say to establish his bonafides as a bad guy. There is a sprinkling of anti-religious comments - aimed pretty even-handedly at Islamics, Christians, and Jews. If such comments offend you, then simply skip this film - that's plain enough, right?
I have never been a fan of DiCaprio - but he is no longer the creepily effeminate blond kid he once was, when my teenage daughter was seeing all his films. He has matured into a good actor although I must say even with a dye job on the hair, he is too light-complectioned to play an Arab. He SHOULD have been sprayed with a couple of coats of "Man Tan" makeup as was Charlton Heston when he played the role of Miguel Vargas in Touch of Evil. But perhaps changing skin color is no longer PC in this post-Michael-Jackson world.
Likewise I had a problem accepting Russell Crowe in the role of an American CIA bureaucrat. I mean, he nailed the MidWestern accent and turned in his usual excellant performance - but to me he is typecast in Australian parts, or perhaps British roles as in Master and Commander.
The plot is believable. The gunplay is believable. Lots of stuff gets blown up, but to a purpose that serves the plot.
"Moral Equivalency" never enters into it. The Americans, Europeans, Jordanians, and Palestinians depicted in the film all detest the Al Quaeda character who is undeniably and convincingly depicted as an evil villian. At one point the villian slams a hammer down and smashes DiCaprios fingers, saying "Welcome to Guantanamo". Some interpret this - incorrectly IMHO, as drawing a moral equivalence between the two sides of the War on Terror. I don't care about the Guantanamo line, in fact I immediately discounted it as something the bad guy would say to establish his bonafides as a bad guy. There is a sprinkling of anti-religious comments - aimed pretty even-handedly at Islamics, Christians, and Jews. If such comments offend you, then simply skip this film - that's plain enough, right?
I have never been a fan of DiCaprio - but he is no longer the creepily effeminate blond kid he once was, when my teenage daughter was seeing all his films. He has matured into a good actor although I must say even with a dye job on the hair, he is too light-complectioned to play an Arab. He SHOULD have been sprayed with a couple of coats of "Man Tan" makeup as was Charlton Heston when he played the role of Miguel Vargas in Touch of Evil. But perhaps changing skin color is no longer PC in this post-Michael-Jackson world.
Likewise I had a problem accepting Russell Crowe in the role of an American CIA bureaucrat. I mean, he nailed the MidWestern accent and turned in his usual excellant performance - but to me he is typecast in Australian parts, or perhaps British roles as in Master and Commander.
Beautifully photographed in 2.35:1, the surround sound is dynamic and exciting. I guess you could say the casting was really the only issue I had with the film - I just feel they went with name stars who were pretty much guaranteed to pull the box office numbers, versus actors who would have been just as good in those roles and would have been more convincingly cast as these characters.
Sir Ridley Scott still has it at age 70 - this is a tightly scripted and effective action/thriller. I count it among Scott's top half-dozen films (Blade Runner, Alien, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Body of Lies). Photography and sound were just about perfect - the man can make good movies. Let me venture a guess that Scott may have sold this film as an anti-war-on-terror film to some studio or distributor. But to my mind, that is no more true than it was in Black Hawk Down - which I still rate higher than this film - but the message is, this one is worth the time. Likewise you may hear some offhand comments from Scott as part of the film's publicity - he's known for such, but he's just firing for effect, stirring up interest in his work and maximizing his ROI.
Reccomended for action junkies. Overall an A-, only because I had trouble accepting DiCaprio as an Arab and Crowe as an American. They both gave excellant performances but the casting could have been better.
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I detest watching that guy, but my wife loves him.
...maybe to offset LdC's American/Arab. Though Strong pulled it off and Leo didn't.
