Body of Lies Movie Review 18

Body of Lies is a movie starring the ever youthful Leonardo Dicaprio and Russell Crowe and is directed by the very good Ridley Scott.This is based on the book by David Ignatius although I have not read it.All I knew about this movie before I saw it was it was about the CIA and the Middle East.I hoped it was not just a lecture about how everything is messed up there! Dicaprio plays Roger Ferris a CIA agent working on the ground in the middle east against terrorists.Russell Crowe is Ed Hoffman who is the man stateside pulling all the strings and not too bothered once the right results are received.I had a problem with Dicaprio looking too young in Revolutionary Road but here he sports a goatee style beard and looks the part.He handles things really well and you do end up believing that he is an agent on the ground in Jordan.


Ferris is trying to uncover the location of a terrorist groups leader called Al-Saleem whose terrorist network has been bombing and causing havoc around the place.We see all the technology the USA has such as satellites and gunships but what is really needed is Intelligence.They need to find where the bad guys are to get them but it is hard as the terrorists do not use technology but use hand written instructions in code.They deliver them by hand also so they are very hard to track down.This is where Ferris played by Dicaprio comes in as he is on the ground mixed up with the locals trying to find out where they are.He hatches an ingenious plan to find Al-Saleem with the help of Hoffman but they have to get the co-operation of the Jordanian Chief of Intelligence Hani Salaam.The title of the movie comes from the fact that everyone there has there own agenda and is telling some lie or other to everyone else.No one knows who to trust.Ferris is just doing his best to get the terrorists but is hampered by people not telling him everything and then he looks like he can't be trusted then.In this also as a nurse is Golshifteh Farahani and she meets Dicaprio when he needs medical attention.She is the love interest but obviously things cannot go as smooth as a regular love affair as this is the middle East.

Jigsaw's Verdict (6/10)

Body of Lies starts off really well as we go straight into the action of Dicaprio on the ground trying to get information.Thankfully it did not get preachy about the USA involvement in the middle east so that was a good thing.Dicaprio was very good in all the action and Russell Crowe did his part as the CIA veteran who views it all as a game.I thought the love interest seemed shoe-horned into the plot and didn't really seem believable.The ending seemed unbelievable too and didn't seem as if it would happen.If you have seen this I am talking about what happens to Dicaprio's character at the very end.I won't spoil it if you have not seen it yet.It is still worth watching and I would recommend that you see this.If you do not like middle east themed movies then stay well away!!!!

Amanda's Verdict (6/10)

This movie was action filled and there was a lot happening at the same time. I wouldn't usually watch these types of movies but it was entertaining. I liked DiCaprio, but I think that Russell Crowe was very good in it.I didn't like the romance part in it as it was totally out of place. Would a CIA agent be having a romance while working? It was long at 2 hours but it was worth watching.

What did you think?