BODY OF LIES MOVIE FULL SERIES

The film is arranged as a series of disparate missions. They're screwing up the war on terror because they don't know anything and they don't care. The second is that the Washington bureaucrats, motivated by political concerns, give orders that are destructive in human terms, and counterproductive in strategic terms. The first is that the agents on the ground know a lot more than their comfortable superiors in Washington. Based on a novel by David Ignatius, the movie has two fairly compelling ideas that it keeps hammering over and over. Once that realization settles in and the accompanying mild despair is overcome, there are things to appreciate. Instead, it plays like a slightly muddled intellectual exercise, illustrated by a few explosions. And a few drum machines going to make it seem like something's happening that matters. Russell Crowe, as his chubby, complacent boss, talking back calmly.

This makes for a movie experience in which the viewer sits patiently for about 45 minutes waiting for the story to kick in, only to realize, oh. But his point of view remains distant, and so does the audience. OK, so he sounds nervous and curses at his boss over a cell phone when things go bad. The stakes are low and the direct consequences to him are minor.

DiCaprio, as the American operative on the ground, cares about his job, but for at least two-thirds of the movie, nothing is on the line for him. Yet, all that can barely make up for the one thing 'Body of Lies' lacks, a story that makes it feel personal. The locations are exotic and dangerous, and they're presented with a feeling for the customs and behaviors of the people who live there. 'Body of Lies' has almost everything - a top-notch director (Ridley Scott), major stars (Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe) and a compelling subject, counterterrorist espionage in the Middle East. To hear Mick LaSalle talk about movies, listen to his weekly podcast at /podcasts.

Body of lies movie full