If nothing else, I think I am finally beginning to accept Leonardo DiCaprio as an adult leading man. (As adequate as he was in the well-done "Aviator" as Howard Hughes, he just looked too darn young for me to really buy it.) Here, he is a bearded,...
- 29.March.2010
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- by: Democritus
- Democritus rated this movie
 0/10
If nothing else, I think I am finally beginning to accept Leonardo DiCaprio as an adult leading man. (As adequate as he was in the well-done "Aviator" as Howard Hughes, he just looked too darn young for me to really buy it.) Here, he is a bearded, black-haired, highly competently Arabic-speaking CIA agent and pulls it off with aplomb, albiet coming within a hair's breadth of overplaying the tough guy attitude. (Maybe that's why they included the love interest). Anyway, this is a modern head-knocking, hand-smashing movie experience, hopped up on all the latest spy technology (probably exaggerated slightly, too, such as the detail capacity of spy-in-the-sky live space surveillance, and always-perfect cell phone connections); a lo-glam, non-posh James Bond. As such, it is pretty good, and perhaps even slightly less bewilderingly complex in its plot than, say, "Syriana," which I liked without ever quite knowing what the heck was going on in it. There is also intelligence here, if not quite the seriousness of "Syriana," --no ugly anti-Arab stereotypes here either--but one never gets much of a feel what all the regional Mideast conflict is all about, other than the cartoon version: "they're religious fanatics who want to convert or kill or non-Muslim heathens." That's spluttered out by the good-ole-boy CIA character played well by a deliberately bland-faced Russell Crowe. He is not a totally reassuring hero figure for Americans (maybe because it is slightly satirical?) as a CIA executive at the D.C. headquarters. Expertly put together from cinematography, to music, to editing, "Body of Lies" offers a fast-moving two hours of international thrillerdom, but may nonetheless leave you scratching your head, for more than one reason, unless the shoot-the-rapids satisfactions are enough by themselves for you. 3.5 stars. 5.09
- 29.March.2010
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- by: Democritus
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After thinking about this some, I come to the conclusion this is quite disappointing. Too many threads that don't come together. The central character, as well as the two other leads, are meant to be complex characters caught up in horrific...
- 11.April.2009
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- by: ScottyT
- ScottyT rated this movie4/10Disappointing
After thinking about this some, I come to the conclusion this is quite disappointing. Too many threads that don't come together. The central character, as well as the two other leads, are meant to be complex characters caught up in horrific situations. And yet they come across as almost comic characters. A deeply troubling and charged situation comes down to a totally out of place boy meets girl story. "Superheros" are really just a silly mix of fantasy and real world based characters. To take one example [slight spoiler ahead]; at one point the central character [Leo] suddenly comes up with this complicated plan that uses an innocent bystander as a pawn. Only very late in this development does he become aware that he may be placing the pawn's life in danger and is shocked! by it. It makes no sense in the movies own terms, that he wouldn't have realized this.
Too much else of the story is like this: incredibly smart, savvy characters doing ridiculously stupid things that are beyond inconsistent.
- 11.April.2009
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- by: ScottyT
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Very good movie. DiCaprio is impressive, as always. Intense storyline that keeps you hooked.
- 25.March.2009
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- by: theSuperStar
- theSuperStar rated this movie6/10Okay
Very good movie. DiCaprio is impressive, as always. Intense storyline that keeps you hooked.
- 25.March.2009
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- by: theSuperStar
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