|
 
|
 |
Body of Lies (2008)
  
_150w.jpg) |
Directed
by:
Ridley Scott |
|
COUNTRY
USA |
GENRE
Drama/Action/
Thriller/Political |
NORWEGIAN
TITLE
Body
of Lies |
RUNNING
TIME
128 minutes |
|
|
Produced
by:
Donald De Line
Ridley Scott |
|
Written by
(based on a novel by David Ignatius):
William Monahan |
Review
This interesting but
overloaded political thriller packs plenty of information and some
high-tension scenes, trying to explore a slice of the political
situation in the Middle East after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
Leonardo DiCaprio is the moral lone gunman, personified as an
intelligence whiz, who infiltrates the local cultures and finds himself
awakened by the reality of it all. Russell Crowe is the detached CIA
executive who views the operations as statistics from a distance. The
parable the filmmakers are making is palpable and resonant, and Body
of Lies
offers some slick moments of who-to-trust segments in which William Monahan is
able to demonstrate some of his skills as a writer.
Unfortunately, the direction by Ridley Scott is indistinct, disclosing
the film's obvious weaknesses. Scott's scenes just keep coming on with
hardly any shifts in tone or tempo. It's as if Leo goes from Iraq to
Jordan to the United States and back again a couple more times during
one day. And along the way he encounters all the usual sheep in wolves'
clothing, or wolves in sheep's clothing, usually with a good deal of
stereotype. Scott has little else to offer than to just keep piling it
on. Ferris may be a great spy, but when it comes to human qualities, the
filmmakers have only DiCaprio's acting talent to rely on. He is
faultless as usual, often rescuing this otherwise indistinct and
uncreative, albeit quite unbiased, film from total boredom.
|
|
