DVD Review: Body of Lies

Movie Info:
Writer: William Monahan
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Oscar Isaac, Ali Suliman, Alon Abutbul, Vince Colosimo, Simon McBurney, Mehdi Nebbou
Rating: R
Studio: Warner Bros.

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: October 10, 2008
DVD Release Date: February 17, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

There are three elements that make this movie something I would want to check out. The first is Ridley Scott. Sir Ridley has been making outstanding films since before I was born. I wholly enjoy his artistic vision and have never had a problem with the films he’s made. He’s one of the directors I respect the most. The second is Leonardo DiCaprio. If you don’t know why just look at The Basketball Diaries, Titanic, The Aviator, Revolutionary Road, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Romeo + Juliet, Marvin’s Room, The Departed, and the list goes on and on. He was even excellent on Growing Pains.

Leo can act and he’s been in so many diverse roles it’s easy to see why he’s the favorite actor of many people. He reminds me of old Hollywood. His diversity bespeaks of the versatility of many other great actors of their day such as Clark Gable, Walter Matthau (compare his performance in Charade to that in The Odd Couple), Clint Eastwood and Jimmy Stewart. Old Hollywood is making way for the young “it” crowd Hollywood. It’s nice to see some actors still reflect the old school values and retain the ability to act. Leo could perform in “The Telephone Book – A reading from A to Z” and I would watch it just because he’d make it interesting.

The third reason I would see this movie is because I like the thriller, spy kind of stories. This movie is about a relatively sensitive topic. The actors were sure it would get slack in the U.S. for themes that deal with terrorism, the U.S. government and it’s treatment of terrorists, and various other issues. The movie has received mixed reviews from both critics and fans. It’s actually made more worldwide than it has domestically, which speaks volumes about America’s perception about these kinds of movies.

I liked Body of Lies. The entire film has Ridley Scott’s perfectionism written all over it. It’s a wonderfully directed film. The actors stand out with Leo giving a performance worthy of Leo and Russell Crowe portraying his character so well I spent the entire movie hoping I could stab him with a spork. If anything is weak, it’s the storyline/plot. Even then, the story isn’t weak. It’s just long winded.

The movie does seem pretty long, but luckily most of it is full of action, so it’s worth dragging on until the very end. The ending was kind of odd to me. I see what Scott was getting at, but I’d have liked a little more resolution. It would have been interesting to see what Leo’s character did after the movie ended. I get that Scott was trying to imply that this was unknown and up to interpretation, but I would have liked a little more resolution then that.

The Body of Lies Plot
“Don’t Trust Anyone!” – That is something Russell Crowe’s character, Ed Hoffman, repeats to Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) many times throughout the film. This movie is set primarily in the Middle East and DiCaprio is undercover investigating terrorist activity. Though he’s working with local authorities, Hoffman insists that none of them can be trusted. Ferris plays by another set of rules where respect leads to trust, but even then it’s hard for him to maintain such trust considering Hoffman is always going above his head and getting involved in the situation.

CIA agent Roger Ferris starts out in Iraq. He is trying to find a terrorist akin to Osama bin Laden named Al-Saleem (Alon Abutbul). Ferris meets a man who wants to help them out. He has been asked to go on a mission to kill himself in the name of the terrorist organization and he doesn’t want to die. He ends up telling Ferris about a safe house nearby, but not before he is killed. Ferris’ contact, who he is close friends with, Nizar (Mehdi Nebbou) takes Ferris to the safe house. They blow it up but not before Ferris is injured and Nizar is killed.

Ferris is taken to Qatar, where he is able to recover from his injuries. He is then sent to Jordan, where the CIA feels the terrorists have set up a significant terrorist base. In various other parts of the world, the police and other intelligent agencies find multiple cells. The terrorists manage to blow themselves up before they can be caught, taking some of the police with them. One terrorist, in Amsterdam, is successful when he uses his cell phone to trigger a bomb in a car in a flower market. The world wants answers and this to be stopped, so Ferris’ mission becomes even more important.

Ferris has realized that the terrorists are no longer using cell phones or computers to communicate. They’ve turned to word of mouth as the best, most efficient form of communication. That makes tracking them harder. Everything Ferris does goes through his CIA handler, Ed Hoffman. They also follow his movements through a Sikorsky Cypher UAV. Ferris is to work with the head of the GID (General Intelligence Department) of Jordan, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), but he’s told not to trust him.

Hani is very strict with Ferris, because he knows Ed likes to do his own thing. Ferris is very respectful. He wants Hani to help them uncover a safehouse. With Hani willing to help, Ed goes behind Ferris’ back and has another CIA operative, Skip (Vince Colosimo) get involved in a side operation. This puts Hani on edge and he no longer trusts Ferris, who he insists must leave Jordan. In the meantime, Ferris is involved with a nurse at the local hospital, Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani). Ferris must leave her behind, but not for long.

Intent to weed out the terrorist, Ferris comes up with a dangerous plan that could destroy the lives of those closest to him, including his own.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Body of Lies is an action/thriller movie so there is a high amount of detail from beginning to end. This means that at times there is a lot going on and the picture quality can seem frenzied. The 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is not spectacular, but it’s not a huge letdown either. At it’s worst, it just feels basic. The colors are decent and there is nothing really bothersome here to report. In true action movie form, the jerkiness of the camera work is handled beautifully. There are no compression errors, blur, or other issues. It’s just not a huge standout picture. You take the quality for what it’s worth because it is neither overly impressive or distracting. It just is.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is also fairly basic. There are some foreign language bits in the film that are translated in the typical yellow subtitles. The dialogue comes through just fine, the sound effects are dynamic, and the music sounds good. It’s a typical action flick that sounds fine, but isn’t going to bring the house down. In addition to English Dolby Digital 5.1, French and Spanish tracks have also been included. Subtitles are included English, French, and Spanish.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The widescreen version of Body of Lies does not include any real special features. There is a digital copy of the film that is included that can be downloaded by the code that is included. The fact that the code expires in six months and you have to pay $1.99 for a film you already own makes it seem a little less important, but it’s here if you want to use it. Otherwise, there aren’t a lick of special features. The disc begins with previews of Pride and Glory and RocknRolla.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Body of Lies is an entertaining spy/thriller film with great acting and a fair storyline. It’s hard to complain about a movie that has the likes of Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio so you won’t hear too many complaints out of me. The action was interesting and made the film worth watching. If you want the special features I would certainly recommend either the 2-disc or the Blu-ray copy, but if a good film is what you are interested in then you can certainly save some money and pick up the widescreen edition instead.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: DVD Review, Body of Lies, Drama, War, Iraq, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe

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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
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Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.