Body of Lies

Ridley Scott’s latest is an emotional, engrossing film that, nonetheless, offers a tough pill to swallow. Roger Ferris (Leonardio DiCaprio) is a CIA agent based in the Middle East whose job is to collect intel on possible terrorist cells and, ultimately, the location of a man responsible for a number of bombings. The film opens with Ferris’ superior, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) talking via cell phone to Ferris, who is in Iraq, from his comfortable home in Virginia. The disconnect is immediately obvious, though conversations between Hoffman and other colleagues in the United States suggest he understands Ferris’ situation. Lies play a big part in the plot, both between Ferris and Hoffman and between them and the rest of the characters. The film’s subject matter is controversial, as it looks harshly at the motivations and the moral codes of those involved in the war on terror. And despite a few forced moments, the storyline is so enthralling, and the settings and characters so realistic that it’s almost as though you’re transported to a different world for two hours. Rated R