Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
"Body Of Lies" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/29/2012
C.I.A. operative Leonardo DiCaprio enlists the help of the Jordanian secret service to locate the leader of a terrorist cell responsible for bombings in Europe. Being a massive fan of Ridley Scott, I always have very high expectations for his films and this was no different. Unfortunately what you get is more James Bond than Syriana, the depth and insight into the political situation in the Middle East sorely lacking, the film underneath being more a straight cold war style espionage thriller. I did like the way it showed the parallel between DiCaprio's handler and the terrorist leader as two sides of the same coin; each arrogant egoists with no understanding of or respect for their adversary or their culture, using their "followers" as disposable pawns in their own little power games. …
Rating of
2/4
Fails to be anything but standard.
Ichabod Crane - wrote on 12/01/2008
This film just does not have that much to it to be great but it is okay. It is a standard spy movie with standard action scenes and a far too standard love story. The only non standard things in this are the two higher ups but they are not given enough screen time to make this anything but standard. I found it surprisingly routine but still enjoyable enough to watch. So I would not say avoid it but I would not say you gotta watch it now.
Pros: Good performances from Russell Crowe and Mark Felt, and okay ones from everyone else. Shot well enough with accurate technology used apparently.
Cons: Nothing to it and the main hero really is a stock character. Plastered on romantic interest, and the plot for some reason never seems that important.
Rating of
2.5/4
Misleading Plot, Yet Dangerously Fun!
LeopardExplosion - wrote on 10/12/2008
Critics are on the fence with Body Of Lies. Some say it is a fantastic on the edge of your seat thriller, while the others say it is a poor Ridley Scott effort. There I am stuck in the middle.
The Plot in Body Of Lies becomes too tedious and linear. DiCaprio plays a CIA agent who sets off to take out a dangerous Jordan Terrorist in the Middle-East, who has become a major threat. Meanwhile, Crowe's character, Ferris' (DiCaprio) boss, works for the agency from home, and while he's 'saving civilization', he helps his son up on the toilet, or walking the dog. Crowe's character gets little screentime, and barely an character development. Though his comic relief and joking is the highlight of this Crime Flick, it's dissapointing to see the character slowly unevolve. Meanwhile, DiCaprio …
