Body of Lies (2008)

Following "American Gangster," director Ridley Scott is back with another crime flick... except this time he's swapping gangsters for CIA operatives. Since everything went smoothly, Ridley managed to pull together a heavy-hitting crew both in front of and behind the lens. We're looking at powerhouse leads like Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe with a script by Oscar winner William Monahan (the guy behind "The Departed" and "Kingdom of Heaven"). Even with all that star power, early reviews are all over the place—some people are calling it a total letdown while others say it's a masterpiece. I guess we'll find out for ourselves when it hits theaters this winter.



IMDB

Official site

TRAILER 1

TRAILER 2

PLOT

C.I.A operative-Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), under the guidance of his handler, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) sets in motion an elaborate plot designed to nab the leader of a murderous terrorist cell operating out of Yemen.

PHOTOS

I caught this one yesterday, and I have to say, I’m siding with everyone else who claims this movie is absolutely fantastic. I was hooked from the opening frame to the very end. It seems Ridley Scott has done it again, delivering another masterclass, especially with the phenomenal performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. Though, if I’m being honest, the biggest surprise for me was definitely Mark Strong playing Hani; his performance was just top-tier.👍That specific way he says "my Dear"... it really got to me.😁

Rating: 10/10

Henry Robinson39 said:I caught this yesterday and I’m totally with the crowd saying this movie is a masterpiece. I was hooked from the very first frame to the last. Once again, Ridley Scott absolutely crushed it, especially with a powerhouse duo like Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe leading the charge. But honestly? The biggest surprise for me was Mark Strong playing Hani. He was incredible. That "my Dear" line he uses? Absolutely legendary.👍. With that "my Dear" thing, he just stole the show.😁.

Rating: 10/10

Alright, look, explain it to me like I'm five. Tell me what's good about this movie, and if you can actually pull it off, tell me what's great.
I'm dead serious.

Arthur Garcia59 said:Go ahead. Try explaining to me what exactly is "good" about this film. If you can manage it, maybe tell me what's actually great.
I'm not joking around here.

I'm with Arthur Garcia59 on this one. Caught it this past Saturday. It’s garbage—just an exhausting slog...👎

Honestly, I can't get over Leonardo DiCaprio—it’s hard to fully sink into a movie when he's playing a CIA agent but looks like he's barely out of middle school.
Not to mention, once they slap a beard on him... 🤣

What really gets me, though, is how they constantly cast him as these gritty, hyper-masculine types... 😕

Honestly, Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't even my biggest issue.

Arthur Garcia59 said:For me, DiCaprio wasn't even the main issue.

But who was the biggest?

goldenhound32 said:And who's the biggest?

That would take forever.
Plus, I'm still waiting on Henry Robinson39 to chime in.

A few thoughts on this one... hmm
Yeah... Leo ruins the vibe for me.
But overall, it's a good movie...

If anyone’s hunting for tickets to this flick, there are still a couple of 2x2 deals floating around on Yelp... specifically for Cinemark at the Avenue Mall. Last minute stuff. 🙂

The movie was alright, though perhaps a bit sluggish at times. I actually drifted off during parts of it 😁
I appreciated how much of a personal story it felt like, leaning heavily into realism. All those betrayals and conspiracies... It really highlighted how incompetent people can be (unlike James Bond).

Great flick. Just a hair below Syriana for my money.

Arthur Garcia59 said:Go ahead, try explaining to someone who doesn't know anything what makes this movie good, and then maybe tell me what makes it great.
I'm not kidding around.

I’m not quite sure why you’re getting so worked up? I simply shared my own perspective on the film—it's just my opinion, after all, and I’m certainly not demanding that anyone else agree with it. Personally, I thought the movie was excellent, mostly because I happen to be a huge fan of these modern terrorism thrillers. I feel that, from an objective standpoint, the portrayal of Islamic terrorism is handled quite accurately; regardless of how one felt about Bush, the threat of terrorism is very much a real concern. I found Mark Strong’s performance particularly moving; he truly carried his role better than Lea did, though I suppose Leo was still performing at his usual high standard. The tension is constant, and the action never really lets up, which is exactly what I tend to enjoy in this genre. Russell Crowe gave a solid performance, though I wasn't overly impressed by his specific character. But Mark Strong—and I think I've mentioned this several times now—was absolutely phenomenal with his portrayal of Hanija. Just fantastic👎.

Henry Robinson39 said:I have no idea why you're getting so worked up here.

I wasn't getting worked up, you just took it that way. But look, since you didn't actually give me any new insights—like saying the tension was great or Mark Strong was solid—we can just leave it at that.
I figured you had a real reason for liking the movie.

I watched it... it’s a bit of a slog at first... the plot was decent enough, I guess... but all in all? Nothing to write home about. 👎

What kind of movies is he making lately? I’ve got a feeling his younger brother might snag an Oscar before he does...

...no matter how hit-or-miss the quality is, I’ll always sit through them a couple of times. They just always tackle such timely, gripping stuff... spying, conspiracies, power players, terrorists...

It’s a decent enough movie... certainly not bad, far from it, but I don't see it winning an Oscar...

I just finished watching it, and honestly, even an hour later, I still haven't grasped the point of this movie—like, why does it even need to exist? Does anyone actually get it?

Alright, look, everything is wrapped up nicely enough. We’ve got Lea, who is predictably great; we have Russell Crowe, who should theoretically draw in his fanbase (even if his role was written for a complete amateur); we have a strong supporting actor, a female lead (always essential), and we have politics...

...but we are missing the most vital ingredient: ACTION! Someone above mentioned they found the film tense and felt the action never let up. Fine, I can maybe agree with the tension part, but what action, for crying out loud? Where? What? Midway through, the thought of a "kingdom" crossed my mind, and I figured, "Aha, okay... good old Ridley is playing it smart: he gives us a little something to chew on at the start, and then hits us with a massive barrage toward the end..." but nope. Nothing. Zilch. Literally. Of course, action isn't everything, but with movies like this—damn it—you expect it. You want it. You crave it.

Then there's that Garland character—completely underdeveloped. He's introduced out of nowhere (fine, I can live with that), pops up in a couple of scenes, sends a few emails—and that's it. Not a trace of him after that. It wasn't until the credits rolled that I realized who wrote the script: William Monahan, the guy who wrote and won an Oscar for The Departed. Setting the Oscar aside, The Departed is a brilliantly written film with excellent characterization for everyone on screen. Here, that's basically non-existent, except for two characters: Lea and Hanija.

I don't know... I'm giving this a -3, though I can't quite put my finger on why. Probably because of Ridley and the credit I give him based on his past work. But I expected more—I really did.

That movie was absolutely terrible. Honestly, if I wasn't stuck there, I would've bolted out the door—I might have even just stood out in the middle of the street to escape. It happened after just 25 minutes.

Arthur Garcia59 said:If I didn't have to stick it out, I would've bolted after just 25 minutes, even if it meant just standing there on the street.

Oof... Why so much hate for Ridley?