It barely matters that the illustrious Ridley Scott directed Body of Lies. The movie relies so heavily on the redundant tropes of modern global espionage dramas that it practically directs itself. Based on the novel by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, it chugs along with the incessant thundering noise of yet another unimaginative Hollywood soundtrack, diving into the hardened perspective of a CIA agent fighting the war on terror with plenty of vitality but no smarts.
As Roger Ferris, a top-notch investigator stationed in Iran, Leonardo DiCaprio scowls in the desert sun and yells a lot, but his performance fails to travel beyond the hustler abroad type he pioneered in Titanic and refined in the mostly mediocre Blood Diamond. Russell Crowe plays Ed Hoffman, Roger's fast-talking boss who issues orders from a headset while driving his kids around suburbia. Rattling off conservative talking points on national security with the ease of a Fox News pundit, Ed's persuasive abilities ring hollow: "Walk out on me," he says, when Roger gets jittery about a complicated attempt to lure an Iranian terrorist out of hiding, "Walk out on America." If that were true, we might have a better movie here.
Of course, Roger's the real star of the show, pummeling bad guys in the Arab marketplace, romancing a local doctor (Golshifteh Farahani), and finally confronting the big, bad turban-wearing boss in a grotesque climax that has more in common with Saw than Syriana. The problem with Body of Lies comes from its constant attempt to entertain and editorialize at once: William Monahan's screenplay offers insightful conversational digressions, but the plot never moves behind the run-jump-shoot phase.
Scott doesn't bring much to the table as an action director, and his keen storytelling abilities go invisible here. In several terse exchanges with his superior, it seems that DiCaprio's character comprehends the movie's limited vision. "Arabs will only help you if they trust you," he's told. "I don't care about cultural insecurities," comes his reply. Later, Ed argues that "nobody likes the Middle East." Roger doesn't hesitate: "Maybe that's your problem right there." And that's the film's problem right there, too. Essentially focused on xenophobia, Body of Lies actually relies on it. It might screen well at the White House, but I'll stick with The President's Analyst, thanks.
Copyright © 2008 Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc.