The Honest Truth on Body Of Lies

Let’s get straight to the point. Quality is expected in a type of film that brings two juggernaut actors together on the silver screen. It is almost impossible to go wrong when you have a great cast, especially consisting of Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. This is why there should not be a surprise when I say that Body of Lies is an undeniably good film. At certain times in its viewing, I can even called it a “great film,” but there are a few issues with its delivery as a whole that keeps it from being considered a classic in its entirety.

Body of Lies is a film whose subject manner can be closely related to the issues America is facing right now with the war on terrorism. Leonardo DiCaprio plays as an American agent ( Roger Ferris) whose job is to track down a Muslim extremist (Al-Saleem) whose current plans are to commit acts of terror in European and American Territories. Russell Crowe (Ed Hoffman) plays as Ferris’ superior and advisor whose in charge of the whole tracking operation. As you have probably been able to tell by the film’s title, the movie deals a lot with trust issues; trust between Roger and Farris in their attempts to track don Al-Saleem, and trust between America and Foreign agencies when working together to complete the mission. This storyline and the issues it entails set the film’s audience up for an exciting and suspenseful ride with just a few speed bumps here and there.

Let’s look at the positives first. The storyline is very interesting and consists of a few twists that will definitely keep viewers on their toes. The acting performances are incredible. The chemistry between DiCaprio and Crowe during their dialogue with each other plays a big part in what makes the film so intriguing. Also, the couple of action sequences that do take place in the story are top notch. Depictions of terrorist attacks, bomb explosions, and utter chaos are very realistic. The cinematography made me feel as though I was actually a witness of what was taken place in the story.

Now although I had so many positive things to say about the movie, there are a few issues that must be addressed. The main issue deals with the pacing of the film. With its 128 min long viewing time, its seems as though a good 20 min could have been left off. For instance, there is a love interest that begins to develop between DiCaprio’s character and a Palestinian woman. The development of this love interest isn’t entirely bad, but there are times where you wish they would cut the flirting between the two characters and get back to the mission at hand on finding the terrorist. Due to scenes such as this, the movie tends to drag a bit at times. Another issue I have with the film is that there just wasn't enough showing of Russell Crowe. When watching a film with great actors together similar to that Oceans 11 (George Clooney and Brad Pitt), one of the main enjoyments of the film is seeing the two actors interact with each other. There just wasn’t enough Russell Crowe in Body of Lies. Most of the scenes with him in it consisted of him stuffing his face with food and talking to DiCaprio on a phone at a his desk. The film would have been even better if there was just more interaction between DiCaprio and Crowe.

Overall, Body of Lies is a very enjoyable film. With the many disappointing films that have come out in the past few weeks, watching Body of Lies was refreshing. You guys should definitely check it out despite its long length and few pacing issues.

Grade: B