BODY OF LIES is an OK film from Ridley Scott. It rises above misfires (by Scott) such as G.I. JANE and WHITE SQUALL, and yet it isn't a masterpiece like BLADE RUNNER, ALIEN, BLACK RAIN, or KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director's Cut). DiCaprio is Roger Ferris, a man who runs counter-terrorist ops in the middle East. His boss, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe in a scenery-chewing role), wants results to the point that it compromises the missions that Ferris needs to handle delicately. Ferris knows the culture and people. He is sent to Jordon and gets assistance form the Intelligence chief of Jordan, Hani (Mark Strong), as Ferris seeks to keep watch on a safe house for terrorists. Hoffman wants to use the terrorist that Hani has managed to turn to work for Jordan intelligence. It backfires and Ferris is forced to coem up with a more intelligent plan to bring out the leader of the terrorist group out in the open. Ferris creates a fake terrorist group through the internet and staging a fake terrorist attack. BODY OF LIES is a great way to pass two hours as Ridley Scott waits for his next great project with Crowe (NOTTINGHAM) to film next year. Crowe and Scott are a great team. Not every film with them is great, but it brings something extra to each film they do together. For evey GLADIATOR, there is a lesser effort like A GOOD YEAR and BODY OF LIES. Still the pairing brings varying results that are good to watch.

this movie review is (c)10-16-2008 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com  

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