Body of Lies (Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong) — When Ridley Scott directs a movie, you know you are going to get lots of action and an abundance of tension. Scott has worked with Russell Crowe before on the Oscar-winning Gladiator, the odd and quirky A Good Year, and the character-driven American Gangster (featuring Denzel Washington). Body of Lies is a taut, tight, tense spy thriller set in the Middle East. CIA super-agent Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) operates smoothly in the Arab countries, speaks the language and its dialects fluently, and remains fearless. What he lacks in ruthlessness is more than made up by his boss at the CIA in Langley, Ed Hoffman (Crowe), who is cool, heartless, and manipulative. Ferris earns his stripes and is put in charge of the CIA station in Amman, Jordan, mainly to catch a major Al-Qaeda operative. Ferris takes his orders from the enigmatic Hoffman but strays occasionally since he is, after all, the agent on the ground. Ferris strikes up a relationship with the magnetic, stylish, secretive head of the Jordanian Secret Service, Hani, played superbly by Mark Strong (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day), who more than holds his own with the big-name stars here.
The film is violent and improbable but has just enough special effects and explosions to keep you on the edge of your chair without making you give up. In that sense, it’s better than the very good Eagle Eye. That’s true for the acting, too, which is almost perfect here. DiCaprio’s portrayal of Ferris reminded me of a combination of Blood Diamond and The Departed. Anyone who doubts that DiCaprio has joined the elite group of American actors just hasn’t been watching, and he may be the best of his young generation. He is more than capable of playing it sweet, tough, cool, and evil. Crowe is willing to try anything, and while his character is not well-developed here, he handles it in a way that makes you want to like him despite his dispassionate ruthlessness. I really liked this film, but it’s not for those who shun violence.