Body of Lies. (15.)
Directed by Ridley Scott.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Ali Suliman. 129 mins
Nothing unifies the American public like their determination to shun any film about Iraq and the War on Terror and in many ways I applaud their taste. If I were an American the prospect of watching Russell Crowe as a compendium of their national failings would be enough to justify a shoot the messenger stance.
Crowe is an arrogant, ruthless, tactless FBI boss who has no understanding or regard for the rest of the world and prefers to conduct his War on Terror from behind the TV screen. From Langley he mentors DiCaprio’s Ferris, an Arabic speaking field operative with a conscience. Together they try to track down a terrorist leader in a plot that covers seven countries.
Body of Lies accurately mirrors America’s war effort – the technology is breathtaking but the intelligence is ropey. All the military hardware looks like it was out of the latest Jane’s but some of the plotting is knocked off Tom Clancy. In the middle of the operation DiCaprio goes chasing after a local nurse in Jordan; he passes undetected in an Iraq hotspot simply by growing the kind of whispy goatee beard usually seen on folk singers.
DiCaprio has become that most ridiculous figure, the movie star in denial. There’s this great weight of seriousness about him and every role has to involve some little task of authenticity – here it’s speaking Arabic dialogue – and yet the more he puts on accents or changes his look the more he seems exactly like Leonardo DiCaprio. And for all his high mindedness he’s still plays action hero who gets the girl.
His movies all look the same too – big, loud, earnest adventures. Ridley Scott is a great film maker but his films are rarely enjoyable. He seems to have achieved a level of proficiency where every scene is faultlessly done but none of them excite and it all just chugs along uneventfully.
It’s been an incredible decade for Scott. Since Gladiator in 2000 he’s made another seven movies. Almost a film a year is good going for anyone; his have been mostly gigantic production which he also produces. Never mind the quality, for a man now in his seventies that is a staggering logistical feat. He shouldn’t be documenting the war on terror, he should be running it.
A Good Year review
American Gangster Review
Directed by Ridley Scott.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Ali Suliman. 129 mins
Nothing unifies the American public like their determination to shun any film about Iraq and the War on Terror and in many ways I applaud their taste. If I were an American the prospect of watching Russell Crowe as a compendium of their national failings would be enough to justify a shoot the messenger stance.
Crowe is an arrogant, ruthless, tactless FBI boss who has no understanding or regard for the rest of the world and prefers to conduct his War on Terror from behind the TV screen. From Langley he mentors DiCaprio’s Ferris, an Arabic speaking field operative with a conscience. Together they try to track down a terrorist leader in a plot that covers seven countries.
Body of Lies accurately mirrors America’s war effort – the technology is breathtaking but the intelligence is ropey. All the military hardware looks like it was out of the latest Jane’s but some of the plotting is knocked off Tom Clancy. In the middle of the operation DiCaprio goes chasing after a local nurse in Jordan; he passes undetected in an Iraq hotspot simply by growing the kind of whispy goatee beard usually seen on folk singers.
DiCaprio has become that most ridiculous figure, the movie star in denial. There’s this great weight of seriousness about him and every role has to involve some little task of authenticity – here it’s speaking Arabic dialogue – and yet the more he puts on accents or changes his look the more he seems exactly like Leonardo DiCaprio. And for all his high mindedness he’s still plays action hero who gets the girl.
His movies all look the same too – big, loud, earnest adventures. Ridley Scott is a great film maker but his films are rarely enjoyable. He seems to have achieved a level of proficiency where every scene is faultlessly done but none of them excite and it all just chugs along uneventfully.
It’s been an incredible decade for Scott. Since Gladiator in 2000 he’s made another seven movies. Almost a film a year is good going for anyone; his have been mostly gigantic production which he also produces. Never mind the quality, for a man now in his seventies that is a staggering logistical feat. He shouldn’t be documenting the war on terror, he should be running it.
A Good Year review
American Gangster Review
