Body of Lies

Genre: Drama & Action
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Ali Suliman, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Michael Gaston
Director: Ridley Scott

The combination between Ridley Scott and writer William Monahan, who did the script for "The Departed" as well, certainly works well in this movie. The appeal of the movie stands between a combination between an edgy psychological thriller, a post war aftermath and a guns&fire action movie. So yeah, my guess is anyone will find something enjoyable in viewing it. Be it the torture scenes or the jokes...whichever you fancy.

One might think it would be difficult to make good sense out of a combination of so many influences in a movie, but "Body of Lies" manages to create and intense, serious atmosphere, while not geting boring or superfluous. The story revolves around Leonard DiCaprio who plays the role of a CIA field agent in an important position on the middle east division, Roger Ferris. He answers directly to the leader of the division, Ed Hoffman, played by Russell Crowe. Hoffman is the racist, cocky, abnoxious type of guy that most would instantly like to hate. The plot unraveles when Ferris follows a lead on a major terrorist leader operating outside of the middle east and chooses to do something about it, thus involving the Jordanian intelligence leader, Hani Salam, played beautifully by Mark Strong. Also, I would definetly like to point out the part played by the Iranian actress, Golshifteh Farahani, a breath of fresh air in the all known pattern of sex-appeal police female partners.

The film really gives an authentic look, with its genuine Arabic jokes, that many would probably won't get. The overall mood is finely defined and the actors add up to the value of the visual experience, especially since the movie depicts with great accuracy middle-eastern politics, life and culture. 

You can find the podcast for the original book "Body of Lies" by David Ignatius, which the movies is based on,  right here on 

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