Body of Lies: DVD Review February 17, 2009 11:47 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Body of Lies, DVD, DVD Review, Movies.trackback
The CIAs hunt is on for the mastermind of a wave of terrorist attacks. Roger Ferris is the agencys man on the ground, moving from place to place, scrambling to stay ahead of ever-shifting events. An eye in the sky a satellite link watches Ferris. At the other end of that real-time link is the CIAs Ed Hoffman, strategizing events from thousands of miles away. And as Ferris nears the target, he discovers trust can be just as dangerous as it is necessary for survival. Leonardo DiCaprio (as Ferris) and Russell Crowe (as Hoffman) star in Body of Lies, adapted by William Monahan (The Departed) from the David Ignatius novel. Ridley Scott (American Gangster, Black Hawk Down) directs this impactful tale, orchestrating exciting action sequences and plunging viewers into a bold spy thriller for our time.
Read my review of the single-disc DVD after the jump.
Body of Lies
Available To Own On (click to purchase): DVD (single-disc and two-disc) and Blu-ray Hi-Def
Official Site Link: http://www.bodyofliesmovie.com/
Release Date: February 17, 2009
MOVIE
I really wanted to like Body Of Lies, I really did. Afterall, it’s headlined by two terrific actors (Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe) and director (Ridley Scott), but it just was not the case.
The story of the film appears interesting enough, DiCaprio stars as C.I.A. operative Roger Ferris, who embarks on a mission in the middle east to capture a terrorist leader, with the occasional help of his boss Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Again, the synopsis sounds interesting and you expect a good espionage ride, but the fun is just not there, save for a couple action scenes that are mildly entertaining.
The biggest problem I have, and it’s consistent throughout, is that the movie just does not flow well at all. It’s somewhat difficult, perhaps boring is a better word, to follow, and when it does all finally come together at more than the half-way point, there’s no sense of satisfaction. It’s all just too generic in its simplicity. Add to that, it’s too long. I don’t necessarily believe it would have made the film all that much better, but it’s definitely about a 1/2 hour too long. Given the film’s topic, I just found Body of Lies too bereft of drama, action and that all important thrill you expect from such a film. Perhaps I just expected too much, I don’t know.
Another thing that really irked me is that Russell Crowe’s performance was a bit of a disappointment. He’s a much better actor than what he displays on screen and his character just felt totally out of whack for the entire film. DiCaprio is okay. It’s not that he’s bad in the role, it’s just that there’s really nothing great about the film in general, so I don’t feel too much for the character. It is worth noting, however, that there are some noteworthy secondary characters in the film. One is Jordan intelligence officer Hani Salaam. Played by Mark Strong, the role stands out quite impressively, and he’s one to look out for.
EXTRAS
The single-disc DVD copy of this film is as bare-bones as you can get. The purchase will net you one extra feature, however, a bonus digital-copy. Instructions on how to get your digital copy of the film are included on an insert inside the box.
In closing, it’s hard for me to recommend this film as anything other than a rental and for that I can only give it a grade of 2.5/5.
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