Body of Lies

Jmac:

Since I have a master’s in international affairs with a focus on the near east region, and speak a bit of Arabic... go me, this is also one of my more watched movies. I won't say one of my favorites, but it would be an interesting and action packed movie even if I was not interested in the subject matter.

The movie centers around Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio’s character... ‘LEO’ [whispered]) who is the man on the ground, originally in Iraq, and then Jordan, who is on the trail of an Al-Saleem cell (which could be equated to al qaeda, or jaish al mahdi; even though saleem in this spelling translates to safe or undamaged, which is totally different from their MO). Since he speaks Arabic fluently, and has had first hand contact with the cell, he is quickly bumped up in rank and made acting chief of the CIA office in Jordan, in which the main al-salem cell is believed to operate.

As the movie progresses Ferris forms a tentative friendship with Hani, the Jordanian GID (Jordan’s CIA/FBI) head. Through this connection they work to catch the al-salem cell and it’s leader.

The movie is filmed primarily in Morocco, because sadly it is really one of the only safe countries in the region to film such subject matter, with Dubai and and the UAE turning down the filming due to its political sensitivities.

While the film portrays the CIA as an organization that does not really look out for its own, which with the recent Benghazi mess, may make you think its is so, but as far as my personal experience with people actually in the field, I have not seen it to be so. This being said, Russell Crowe’s character of Ed Hoffman, is uncaring and really out for his own prestige.... which really can be said about most management figures no matter what field they are in. The movie also portrays the CIA as an organization that doesn't really care if innocents are harmed in an ongoing operation, with the idea that the greater good is being served. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, but again as far as my personal experience with in the area, only people that have played with fire so to speak are turned and used for the greater good... no your average joe blow.

But I digress, I just hate when films have that blatant of a one sided political message. The film has tradecraft, technologie, intrigue, and action, with explosions and frankly pretty graphic torture... but not so graphic as ‘Zero Dark Thirty.’

This is almost entirely a guy movie, while a lot of guys may not actually enjoy it because it is not a straight up action spy thriller in the way the 007 is. You should however give it a try, and you will be thoroughly entertained.

I give it 4.3 hammered pinkies out of 5.  

Oh yeah... Farris also finds love in all the mess of tracking a terrorist mastermind.