Body of mediocrity

It’s been about seven years since the United States became hotly involved in the war on terror, but besides George Clooney’s “Syriana,” it’s been equally as long since a truly good movie has been made about it.

And sadly, “Body of Lies” doesn’t really change that. Considering the major power behind the film, “Body of Lies” is a surprisingly run-of-the-mill espionage thriller. In fact, throughout the movie I kept wondering to myself why all three stars – Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott – signed on to make it. 

DiCaprio plays Roger Ferris, a CIA operative stationed in the Middle East who comes across a tip on a new terrorist safe house in Jordan. His superior Ed Hoffman (Crowe) deals with him almost solely over the phone, comfortable and relaxed in his Virginia town.

Ferris must not only deal with Hoffman but also gain the trust of Hani Salaam, the head of Jordanian Intelligence to successfully take down the terrorist target.

The performances by Crowe and DiCaprio are as strong as expected, but especially impressive is the subtle performance of Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani. Her character Aisha is Ferris’ love interest in a subplot that is unnecessary but at least a nice change of pace. 

Even though Crowe’s performance is fine, I was surprised, and in some ways, upset by his character. His whole involvement in the plot is relatively minimal, and his character isn’t necessary at all.

Sure, it’s nice to see actors of the caliber of DiCaprio and Crowe face off against each other, but it’s not as fun to watch when one of the characters has no real substance. It’s almost bewildering Crowe even agreed to be in a movie where he not only is second billing, but in an unimportant role.

But analyzing the movie’s many faults is somewhat unfair because it has some real thrills and great scenes. Once the movie gets going about 45 minutes in, it doesn’t slow down. A subplot involving the painting of an innocent Arab as a lead terrorist through computer trickery and maneuvers is as interesting as anything on film recently.

As all movies about the Middle East do, “Body of Lies” really opens your eyes to a world that truly exists. You’ll be reminding yourself plenty of times that this type of stuff goes on all the time over there. 

But when it comes down to it, without DiCaprio and Crowe, “Body of Lies” is your average espionage thriller.