Body of Lies
2008
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Ali Suliman, Alon Abutbul
Director: Ridley Scott
Runtime: 118 Minutes
Distributor: Warner Bros
Rating: R

It’s fair to say that the more complicated a subject is, the more infuriatingly oversimplified and dumbed down the Hollywood studio machine will render it – hackers cracking national defense grids with laptops, dinosaur DNA courtesy of a mosquito, etc. So when you hear Warner Brothers announce a film that dares to tackle the geo-political instability in the Middle East and the global War on Terror, you would be forgiven for not being exactly brimming over with confidence.

William Monahan knows a little something about weaving subtle misdirection as characters are forced into dangerous alliances having previously penned The Departed. He also has a strong stance on torture and the importance of depicting abhorrent physical brutality so as to properly convey the true essence of what is dangerously close to becoming just another word. Thanks to his tight and tidy script, some classy performances, and Scott’s confidant, assured direction, together they just about manage to save this film from its big studio fate. Chief amongst the plus points is a noticeable lack of soap boxing. With so many films built around post 9/11 politics unable to resist offering a crude and slanted statement as to the why of it all, Body of Lies ignores all that and just focuses on the how.

Click here to read the full review at JustPressPlay.net.

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