Sawtell First Avenue Cinema

Now Showing at Sawtell Cinema

Body of Lies
Rating: MA      Running Time: 2 hrs 08 mins

Session Times: Fri 21-Nov 8:00 pm, Sat 22-Nov 8:00 pm, Sun 23-Nov 6:45 pm, Tue 25-Nov 2:30 pm

Synopsis:

Top CIA field operative, Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), relies for his safety and information on his primary insider, CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Strategizing from a laptop back in suburban USA, Hoffman is on the trail of an emerging terrorist leader, Al Saleem (Alon Aboutboul) suspected to be operating out of Jordan, who has orchestrated a campaign of bombings while eluding the most sophisticated intelligence network in the world. To lure the terrorist out into the open, Hoffman sends Ferris to Amman where he has to persuade Jordan's intelligence chief, Hani (Mark Strong) to co-operate - and to try and stop Hoffman interfering. Ferris cooks up a clever scheme to dupe Al Saleem - but his interest in local nurse Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani) exposes him to enormous risk.

Review by Louise Keller:
Lies and consequences form the heart of this bold, hard-hitting drama in which people are used as commodities, while Big Brother keeps a watchful eye. The wide-reaching tumultuous War on Terror is the backdrop for this complex screenplay, skillfully adapted from David Ignatius' novel by William Monahan (The Departed). The subject matter is tough and we are taken right into the midst of the action - sometimes too close for comfort. Ridley Scott is a master at orchestrating such a project and there are no compromises when it comes to his two extraordinary leading men.

DiCaprio's Roger Ferris and Russell Crowe's Ed Hoffman may be on the same team, but they are diametrically opposed in every way. Ferris is hands-on, conscientious and true to his word, while Hoffman is a manipulator with no conscience or qualms about misrepresenting the truth. Physically they are equally different. Ferris is lean, fit and takes trouble with his appearance while Hoffman is overweight, slovenly and wears an oversized suit that looks as though he has slept in it - Crowe put on 23 kgs for the role. Hoffman is the puppeteer who pulls Ferris' strings and through most of the film, their conversations are from opposite sides of the globe and in very different circumstances. While Ferris is a human shield, dodging bullets, knives and killer dogs, Hoffman is taking his son to the bathroom, watching his ballgame or putting the shopping in the car. The contrast of the two worlds is striking and both DiCaprio and Crowe inhabit their characters totally.

The story is not a pretty one as we leap frog countries and continents and watch the stakes get higher and higher. The twist begins when Ferris comes up with an ingenious plan to locate the terrorists, which involves making the innocent look guilty, when he finds himself in deeper and murkier waters than he could ever imagine. There's a charming romance between DiCaprio and Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who plays Aisha, the nurse with whom he has to learn how to have a conversation before the conversation can take place, and Mark Strong is outstanding as Hani, the immaculately dressed Head of Jordanian Intelligence, who runs what's called The Fingernail Factory and hypocritically insists on nothing but the truth. Vince Colosimo also makes his mark. As Crowe's CIA strategist says in a rare moment of candour 'Nobody's innocent in this shit.' Dense and tense, this is a top class thriller that resonates in today's world.