REVIEW: Body Of Lies (15)

It should be, in betting terminology, a ‘banker’- Scott. DiCaprio. Crowe. The publicity practically writes itself. But with Newcastle-born director Ridley Scott not exactly setting the world alight with his recent efforts (the comedy A Good Year and the great-but-no-classic American Gangster), can he work his magic with Leonardo DiCaprio, the former teen idol who now deals in moody dramas (The Departed, Blood Diamond)?

Body of Lies is set in the grim and violent world of Middle East counter-terrorism. Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) is the CIA’s man on the front line, a field agent in Jordan who believes he has uncovered a new terrorist network lead by the mysterious Al-Saleem. His every move is instructed and monitored by his boss Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), a fast-talking and amoral company man running the war on terrorism via satellite from his house in suburban America. As DiCaprio makes an alliance with the local Chief of Intelligence (Mark Strong), Roger starts to wonder who he can trust as Hoffman regularly misleads him, putting Roger in serious danger of being uncovered in order to meet his own ends.

It’s not exactly a hefty running time (just over 2 hours), but my goodness does it feel like it. Because while there is a lot of action in the film, the attention to protocol and detail that goes into Body of Lies means the story drags horrendously at points. We see every aspect of DiCaprio’s investigation, and the many phone calls between him and Crowe is clever at the start, but by the end feels a little lazy. To give it it’s due, the film is a very believable insight into the machinery of the war on terror, it’s just that as entertainment it’s very slow-paced.

DiCaprio once again delves into his ‘big box of accents’ (this time he’s got a southern drawl), and carries the film quite well. Like both Blood Diamond and The Departed, it’s a tough performance, in that he doesn’t to stick out like, say, Jude Law would in this kind of film. He gets lots of opportunities to chew scenery, as there are tonnes of ‘the way the world is’ type speeches. Not DiCaprio at his best, but a good performance nonetheless.

Crowe revels in the role of the sarcastic, bloated, crude company man. With a big gut and a white wig, he’s also good value, but wasted as he and DiCaprio spend very little time together onscreen. Mark Strong is once again the surprise package, having been one of the highlights of  RockNRolla. He’s equal parts charming and menacing as the Jordanian Intelligence Chief, and one of the big unknown quantities of the film.

All in all, not a bad film - it just could have been so much more. The sluggish pacing and a somewhat muted climax drag down a decent idea and solid performances. A worthy, but not tremendously entertaining thriller.

Body Of Lies is out November 21.