Body of Lies --- review by Craig the Movie Geek
Dir: Ridley Scott Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong
Synopsis: Based on a book by a Washington Post columnist, Body of Lies is the story of a CIA operative who uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of Jordan.
First of all --- I can't believe Beverly Hills Chihuahua took the number one spot again this week. I totally underestimated the appeal of that movie. I still don't get it. Has anyone seen it? Why? And was it actually any good?
Anyway, back to Body of Lies. Here's my thought on Ridley Scott. He's only made two good movies --- Alien and Blade Runner. Though he's an extremely proficient director, I can just never bring myself to love any of his movies (besides the beforemention two). Gladiator is a great example. It looks amazing and has some great scenes, but it's such a generic movie that it just never comes together for me. I know that Gladiator won the Oscar, and I'm guessing a lot of people will disagree with me on that one, but I just can't get beside that movie. Especially after watching HBO's "Rome", an infinitely better take on that whole period.
Body of Lies falls into that too generic to dig category for me as well. As with Gladiator, the movie looks amazing, and it's technically sound. The acting is stellar --- Crowe and DiCaprio are both great (though I can't say the same for Leo's facial hair --- I believe that he believes it's real, so that's good acting!). Mark Strong, who was also in the new Guy Ritchie movie "Rocknrolla" has a tour de force performance. This is an actor to watch.
All that nice stuff being said --- the script just isn't strong enough, and maybe that's always the problem with Ridley Scott movies. He's content to direct, but doesn't pay enough attention to the actual material he's shooting. The movie is a mishmash of convoluted events and situations --- it doesn't take long before you realize that you have no idea what's going on. There is a romantic subplot that is totally tacked on. You're to believe that Leo and his leading lady must risk their lives to be together, but the movie never gives you a reason why they are together. They don't have any meaningful conversations at all.
Overly slick without proper handling of substance, the movie feels both silly and pretentious most of the time. It reminded me of a bad Jason Bourne knock off.
2 Dorks out of 5 on the Geek-o-Meter!