Unfocused and weak for Ridley Scott

I had high hopes for this film. Any movie directed by Ridley Scott gets my attention. Unfortunately it didn't really leave me feeling satisfied. The plot just seemed ... incomplete. It's as if not enough happened.

I think my problem is that the plot didn't give me a sense of importance and the characters didn't develop either. It failed to pull me in and give me some investment in what happens. Ultimately I just didn't care all that much. I give it 2 stars - it's worth a watch if you are bored.

"Body of Lies" Is The Truth!

"Body of Lies", adapted from the same titled book by David Ignatius, is a superbly plotted, well acted, well filmed "intelligent" thriller. The film presents numerous examples of covert "tradecraft" and techniques but avoids becoming a Geekfest.

The moral complexities and paradoxes of the "War On Terror" are fully explored here. Russell Crowe's cynical CIA bureaucrat "remotely controls" Leonardo DiCaprio's field agent. The tension between the clinical Crowe, who pushes buttons, and the in the flesh DeCaprio, who pulls triggers, captures the dichotomy of the foot-soldier in the field and his office bureaucrat commander.

Refreshingly, the "natives" are depicted sympathetically. Jordanian Intelligence Chief Hani is a suave, sophisticated operator. Even some of the terrorist suspects are shown as full human beings rather than Dick Cheney-George W. Bush "evildoers".

The film offers tremendous plot twists. Its one weakness is the relationship that develops between DeCaprio's character and a Jordanian medical doctor. Certainly, inter-religious relationships happen everywhere. Many U.S. service people in Iraq have married Iraqi women, but DeCaprio's CIA character would be detested by all, even pro-U.S. Jordanians.

Still, this film is the Truth! Can you handle it?

How Much Punishment Can Leonardo Di Caprio Take?

To reveal the answer to this question would spoil the film which probes the topic in digit-crunching detail! As a CIA agent in the field, the talented Di Caprio, plus the crystal-clear transfer of Blu-Ray, brings the pain a bit too close for comfort, as far as I am concerned. And Russell Crowe, as Di Caprio's boss, does nothing to relieve his agent's ongoing agony.

If Ridley Scott's intention was to have Crowe portray the CIA chief of ops as both nerdy and callous, permanently attached to his cell-phone earpiece, issuing death-dealing orders from thousands of miles away without regard for the consequences, he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams--precisely because of Crowe's own considerable talent. There is nothing to love about Crowe's character.

As for Di Caprio, I spent far too much time feeling for him--in the worst possible way; and I didn't think that the story was suspenseful enough to make it worth the vicarious pain.

Huge "ouch factor"!

Good action film

The story and action looks so realistic in this Blue-ray movie, its a great buy for my collection.

Confusing and rather boring and disappointing

This is "cool" movie, good acting and everything, nice to see Leo Decaprio in this role, but overall the plot is rather dry and I was expecting a lot more. Really wanted to like the movie, but plot does not keep you interested for long.
Visually nice looking film, but at the end, I wonder what the point of it all is.