Oct 18, 2008 01:04 PM
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(Updated Oct 19, 2008 08:25 PM)
‘To whom evil is done, do evil in return’. Not to be deceived as a preachy docu-drama about America’s foreign policies relating to the war on terror, ‘Body Of Lies’ is in fact, a slick and sophisticated espionage thriller with a view on terrorism never seen before. Sir Ridley Scott has always redefined genres - ‘Aliens’ and ‘Blade runner’ for sci-fi, ‘Gladiator’ for epics, ‘Black Hawk Down’ for the ground reality in the middle east, ‘Hannibal’ for psycho-crime thrillers and American Gangster for the crime lords of America.
With Leonardo Dicaprio and Russel Crowe as the two superlative actors in the lead, ‘Body Of Lies’ promises enough fireworks.
The film’s adroitly conceptualized and masterfully executed action is showcased in the opening sequence as Apache helicopters come to the rescue of a Land Rover that is being pursued by relentless terrorists. They are providing back up for CIA field agent Ferris, whose sound knowledge about ground realities in the middle-east and fluency in Arabic lead him to critical connections of the terrorist cells; at times too close.
As if simply following orders, Ferris jumps from one lead to another as per the instructions of his boss at CIA headquarters who monitors the happenings of America’s war on terror with his cell phone and the agency’s Google Earthly technology. Manipulative and insensitive, Hoffman(Russel Crowe) is the resourceful CIA director whose shrewdness and power hungry ego meets face-to-face with Ferris’ moralities and approach towards ethics of espionage.
Wits, charm, intensity, experience and knowledge about the various cultures enables Ferris to befriend an Iranian nurse on one hand and the support of Hani Salaam(Mark Strong), the head of Jordanian intelligence, on the other. This tense alliance with the smart, suave and respectable Hani challenges Ferris to maintain his trust by not lying to him. Whereas, the game of deceit is played by Hoffman as he launches missions behind Ferris’ back, thus infuriating both Ferris and the Jordanian allies.
In all this intensity, Ferris devices an ingenious plan to set up a fake terrorist cell in order to lure Al-Saleem’s(alleged terrorist) attention and expose him at a vulnerable point. The plan jeopardizes the vital relationship between CIA and Hani and with an ugly turn of events, the film turns darker and meaner. Being an adaption of a David Ignatius novel, the flawless screenplay by William Monahan brings life to the characters of Hani Salaam, Roger Ferris and Ed Hoffman. A convoluted espionage plot that deals with deceit, trust, breach of trust, cultural understanding, radical Islam and America’s agenda for its war on terror through the CIA, has been depicted in a remarkably stylish yet realistic manner by Ridley Scott.
Notice the distinct style of the aerial shots of Google Earthly images, the convoys of cars racing through the Moroccan desert, the middle- east locales against the backdrop of the setting sun and simply, the jaw dropping action sequences. Scott’s direction controls the audience for the 2 ½ hour duration and grips them with the intricate plot and a powerhouse of performances.
Russel Crowe’s portrayal of the heavy set Hoffman as he tucks his chin and glares through the brim of his glasses makes his blatant point even sound convincing. His approach maybe too American in being insensitive to moral and cultural issues but he justifies every aggressive action when he describes the foes being radical jihadists who have gone back in time by ignoring the very technology that America uses as its weapon.
Thus, Crowe’s remarkable versatility is reflected through his performances in 3:10 to Yuma, American Gangster and now, Body of Lies.
Leonardo DiCaprio somehow, just manages to transform himself into a character in the most convincing manner. Forget Titanic and look back at Catch me if you can, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed and Blood Diamond. He has matured in every role with his intensity that has become his hallmark, establishing itself clearly in Body of Lies. The intensity comes with compassion, intelligence, anger, composure and charm that make DiCaprio the ‘par excellence’ actor of his generation.
But surprisingly, even with such great talents in the lead, Mark Strong steals the show as the suave, direct and powerful Hani Salaam. Every single appearance of his in the designer suits commands attention and his cold, direct actions leave us in awe of his power. His intensity in performance brings a menacing touch to a character that is an ally of America but is proud and righteous enough to do things the way he seems fit.
Americans are weary of watching the war in Iraq and thus, Body of Lies may not contain the theme to set the box-office on fire but nevertheless, Ridley Scott gives us an intense film about human relationships across cultural barriers, trust being breached with deceit, technology overcome by power of simplicity and a hero marred by his agency’s intentions and terrorist’s assaults.
