Body of Lies

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Released 21st November 2008

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There are times in this job when a film grabs you, shakes you severely, and demands your full-and-undivided attention to the terrifying imagery before you. Ridley Scott’s latest international action thriller, Body of Lies, starring cinema heavyweights, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, does just that. Comply with the persistent and often shockingly realistic depictions, or get out now with your ‘innocence’ intact. With the throttle stuck in top gear, this film is simply relentless and brutally frank, which means it’s utterly engrossing stuff — whether you are comfortable with that fact or not. It actually makes Bourne look like an action-film series for beginners.

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Bourne was pure entertainment value. Body of Lies, similar to The Kingdom, includes an entertainment element of sorts, but is disturbing viewing because it’s more honest and topical with the ever-present threat of ‘invisible’ terror cells. And it makes no apologies for tackling the subject matter in such a barbaric, often close-up manner by showing the full extent of the blood, guts and gore. Admittedly, there are horrific and upsetting scenes of bomb devastation and confusion as the tormented CIA battles to gain intelligence on the ground of the next fanatical threat, before it has a chance to manifest. In a way, producing such a film as faithfully as possible does require depicting unsavoury aspects, although some might question to what extent? In fact, Body of Lies is undeniably chilling, as any terror expert will tell you, for the simple reason that ‘finding the enemy’ is often the hardest part of the new war on radical Islamic terror because of the smaller groups involved. The film delivers moments of sheer emptiness and despair as the stretched intelligence services strive by the minute to prevent another atrocity occurring in the twisted name of religion. Just when they think they hold all the cards, the whole pack caves in. The only slightly encouraging thing is the portrayal of different international anti-terror groups working together, before the rug is pulled from beneath, and the competition to ensnare the top terror men gets in the way of progress happening and lives being saved. Trust no-one it seems…

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Showing a remarkable aptitude for such roles, DiCaprio is as impressive as (if not more so than) his Oscar-nominated Blood Diamond role as ‘fighter on the edge’, Roger Ferris, a knowledgeable and vital intelligence man to have in the field. In contrast, Crowe as bloated and arrogant CIA bureaucrat, Ed Hoffman, who thinks he calls all the shots by spending his life growling orders, ultimatums and bigoted and sarcastic comments down a mobile phone from the comfort of his plush home and surroundings, is superbly cast opposite DiCaprio in yet another successful Scott ‘chalk-and-cheese’ screen pairing. This relationship brilliantly fuels the tension of the whole plot, heightening the ever edgy and explosive nature of its pace. Another noteworthy decision was casting the ever-remarkable Mark Strong (RocknRolla) as the formidable Hani Salaam, Head of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department. Terror comes in many forms as this gangster/playboy-styled official offers the hand of friendship, then whisks it abruptly away when it suits, changing the rules on a whim. The effect of these three great acting talents on screen is intoxicating and exhilarating.

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Credit crunch aside, Body of Lies will remind you of the other ever-present fear on each and every doorstep in the 21st Century, regardless of where you are on the planet. That’s its obvious effectiveness and its indisputable guarantee of box office success.

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By Lisa Keddie

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Synopsis

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Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a covert CIA operative working in Jordan searching for terrorists who have been bombing civilian targets. Ferris uncovers information on the Islamist mastermind Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul). He devises a plan to infiltrate Al-Saleem’s terrorist network with the help of his boss back in Langley, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Ferris enlists the help of the Chief of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong) on this operation, but he doesn’t know how far he can trust him without putting his life in danger. The uneasy alliance leads to a cultural and moral clash between the men.

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Film Facts

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Official UK site: http://bodyoflies.warnerbros.com/

UK release date: 21st November 2008

Director: Ridley Scott

Writers: William Monahan, David Ignatius

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio (’Roger Ferris’), Russell Crowe (’Ed Hoffman’), Mark Strong (’Hani’), Golshifteh Farahani (’Aisha’), Ali Suliman (’Omar Sadiki’), Alon Aboutboul (’Al-Saleem’)

UK Distributor: Warner Bros UK

Certificate: 15

Run-time: 128 mins

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Video on Real.com

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Trailer:

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REAL Exclusive: Leonardo DiCaprio Interview:

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REAL Exclusive: Ridley Scott Interview:

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REAL Exclusive: Mark Strong Interview:

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CLIP:

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Premiere:

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Feature:

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CIA Feature:

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Ridley Scott Interview:

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Did you know…

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• The screenplay is based on the novel of the same name by David Ignatius, a veteran journalist who covered the CIA and Middle Eastern affairs for 10 years for The Wall Street Journal, before joining The Washington Post, where he is currently an associate editor and columnist
• To prepare for the part of Roger Ferris, DiCaprio delved into the book and consulted the author and several former members of the CIA. It allowed DiCaprio to vicariously experience the heightened reality of a man whose life depends on his ability to be many men at once
• This is Crowe’s four collaboration with Ridley Scott: “We share a work ethic, an aesthetic and a sense of humour, and if you have got those three things going for you, then being on set together is easy” (Crowe)
• Crowe put on 50 pounds to play Ed Hoffman
• Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani who plays Aisha makes her first American film debut
• Almost 100 different locations, spanning nearly a dozen countries were used for the film. Because filming in each country portrayed in the film was not feasible, Morocco was selected to stand in for the majority of the film’s locales - a country that Scott has filmed in many times before for Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven
• The tracking system used to depict Ferris from above is the Predator System - Scott simulated this POV using an HD camera mounted on a helicopter hovering at 10,000 feet above the action on the ground

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