THE PLOT: American agents are trying to track down terrorist leader Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul), head of a Middle East cell which is responsible for numerous bombings across Europe.

CIA supervisor Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) co-ordinates the operation via satellite phone from the comfort of his suburban life in Washington, leaving field agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) in the thick of the action, where he’s authorised to use extreme force to ensure the safety of America and its people.

Much to Hoffman’s displeasure, Roger aligns himself with Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), head of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department who promises his full co-operation – if the American swears never to lie to him.

Unfortunately, Roger is frugal with the truth, and when he sparks a tentative romance with Jordanian-Iranian nurse Aisha (Farahani), his enemies see her as a useful pawn in their deadly quest.

THE VERDICT: Body of Lies is a frustratingly slow-burning spy caper which never really catches fire. The plot is one-paced, contrived and forgettable, and it’s only the handful of of adrenaline-pumping action sequences which even threaten to quicken the pulse.

As ever with a Ridley Scott movie, though, it looks good and is directed with style, channeling topical fears about the fight against terrorism into a travelogue around Jordan, Dubai, Turkey, and Iraq.

Every director has their favourite actors, and Russell Crowe is top of Scott’s list. This is their third successive film, and the Gladiator star rewards the director with a touching performance as the overweight family man who believes all the world’s problems can be solved by a mobile phone and omnipresent earpiece.

DiCaprio throws his heart and soul into a disappointingly one-dimensional role – his romantic subplot is little more than a crude plot device to facilitate a pivotal torture scene.

In the real-life war on terror, we don’t know our friends from our foes, and to the innocent bystander, the battle lacks structure and shape and raises more questions than answers. This film is no different.

Rating: 6/10

• Release Date: Friday 21 November 2008
• Certificate: 15
• Runtime: 128mins

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