Body of Lies (2009)
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and Mark Strong
There was an article from last year, I think in the Hollywood Reporter, about the excellent quality of recent Iraq war movies. The article covered how these movies possessed both compelling stories and star power – but no one was going to see them. You take Body of Lies, Stop-Loss and even the multiple Oscar winning film The Hurt Locker and none of them “made money” (by Hollywood standards). I saw Body of Lies over the weekend, and in a way, I can see why these films aren’t rolling in dough from the box office: they are awfully hard to swallow!
In Body of Lies, we have a likable character in Leonardo DiCaprio’s Roger Ferris. He is a smart, athletic, chameleon of a field agent that frankly, I’m glad to have on our side. He speaks Arabic, he can blend in as a local whether he’s in Iraq, Jordan or Turkey, and he can conversely pass for a powerful banking executive. I liked his character a lot, particularly his pursuit of a Palestinian nurse, which was a pretty interesting plot choice regarding his love interest.
We have a very different character in Russell Crowe’s Ed Hoffman, who is Ferris’ handler (See Note 1). On the opposite side of the world in Washington D.C., Hoffman directs Ferris in the Middle East on how to proceed with intelligence he’s obtained and who to partner with – and who not to trust, regardless of Ferris’ more romantic feelings. Hoffman is square to Ferris’ circle. He is a razor sharp intelligence officer who is only concerned with the bigger picture as it relates to America’s defense. He is less likable than Ferris, however , because of his insistence on telling Ferris only what he needs to know – and often contradicting his promises to Ferris with his actions. In short, Ed Hoffman has a very ugly attitude that’s required for his job.
Regardless of your feelings on Hoffman, perhaps the most interesting character is the Jordanian intelligence chief, Hani Salaam played by Mark Strong (where’d this guy come from? He’s spectacular in everything I’ve seen him in!). Hani has a very simple work mantra, which I’ll paraphrase as follows – “I will help you (in this case, Ferris) because we are allies. But woe be to you if you ever lie to me! Woe be to you, I say…” I have always adored characters like Hani that say what they mean and do what they say (my little Dr. Seuss tribute of the day). Hani’s involvement in the story is one of its highlights, along with Ferris’ love interest.
So, why didn’t Body of Lies perform well at the U.S. box office, pulling in less than $40 million (while collecting approximately $60mm in international dollars – see Note 2)? I have several ideas as to why. First, as I stated earlier, this is a tough watch in some scenes, particularly the graphic violence that is unfortunately tightly wound into this story as a necessity. There is a computer expert who works off the grid for the C.I.A. that is frankly a little creepy, but again, important to the plot. The story is difficult to follow: i.e., this is not a mindlessly entertaining film. And finally, I think it’s entirely possible that today’s audience receives enough messaging and footage of war over the course of a week. Therefore, Body of Lies legitimately wouldn’t fall within their first choice at the theater on opening weekend, regardless of this film’s star power.
My final word on this picture is that if you’re in the mood for a violent, suspenseful espionage picture, Body of Lies will suit you just fine: however, “woe be to you” if you don’t rent Airplane! or The Naked Gun for watching after…
Note 1: If the film had a weakness, it was the scenes involving Ed Hoffman on the phone with Ferris -while Hoffman watched his kids play soccer! Or Ed helping his son learn to use the restroom – while talking to an agent in the field!!! Come on, Mr. Scott: I can’t imagine any C.I.A. handler who would “play Dad” while receiving vital information from the field from his top agent. You’re better than that, sir. If the intent was to show that Ed gets the benefit of living comfortably in the States while Ferris suffers in Middle Eastern trenches, I think there’s still probably a better way to do it…
Note 2: Part of a film studio’s decision to “green light” a film relates to estimates on how much a film would probably make internationally. I read an article recently in the L.A. Times that a potential Anchorman 2 will probably never be produced because of A) the salary demands of the now major stars involved in the first film and B) the original made only $5.2MM overseas. Ruh roh. I mean, never mind the fact that Anchorman made $89 Million here in the States (that figure is outside of DVD sales, FYI). It’s just not enough, is it! As this comment relates to Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies, I think he’s perhaps a more global director: this espionage film and this summer’s Robin Hood collected most of their gross from overseas.