Number Eight

Body of Lies

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russel Crowe

I will probably touch on this in later reviews as we get closer to the number one spot (hint hint), but it has to be said here: I love Leo! Back in the day, that was something only grade school girls and boys who got beat up at recess said, but after seeing his performances in the last few years (and also coming to acknowledge the greatness of his earlier works) I have to say, I really love Leonardo Dicaprio. He is one of the finest actors alive today. Take any so-so plot and pump it full of Leo, you have yourself a winning cinematic endeavor. This is what happened with Body of Lies.

I’ll take the plot directly from imdb.com because it was just too perfect:

Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a covert CIA operative working in Jordan searching for terrorists who have been bombing civilian targets. Ferris uncovers information on the Islamist mastermind Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul). He devises a plan to infiltrate Al-Saleem's terrorist network with the help of his boss back in Langley, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Ferris enlists the help of the Chief of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong) on this operation, but he doesn't know how far he can trust him without putting his life in danger. The uneasy alliance leads to a cultural and moral clash between the men.

The three main actors really interact wonderfully in the movie.  I especially liked Strong and Dicaprio’s scenes.  Russel was just irritating (as his character was meant to be), so he was a good counterbalance to the likable Ferris and mysterious Hani Salaam.   The plot was decent, and the chase scene with the Helicopters towards the beginning was downright cool, but without the cast I don’t think this movie would have made my top ten, let alone a spot at number eight. It was fairly elegantly directed and I have no real complaints, but I believe that the film definitely benefitted mostly from the extra oomph the cast gave it.  Based on the performances that were a complete joy to witness, Body of Lies gets number eight.