Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a CIA operative who works in several Middle East countries tracking down terrorists. He speaks Arabic and is committed to stopping bombings in which innocent civilians are killed. Ferris works for Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), a crude and ruthless strategist who justifies anything and everything he does in the name of national security. He is in constant touch with the agents in the field through his cell phone and laptop.
Both men are determined to capture or kill Al-Saleeem (Alon Aboutboul), a radical Islamicist terrorist who takes seriously the war against the infidels. His group is behind a series of bombings in Europe. They have figured out that the CIA can locate them by monitoring their cell phones, so they now pass on information via word of mouth. Hoffman has figured this out and is trying other methods to crack the terrorist cell.
To lure Al-Saleem out of hiding, Ferris, with the assistance of a computer genius (Simon McBurney), creates a phony terrorist organization. This gets him in trouble with Jordanian intelligence chief Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), an ally who will not tolerate being lied to. But the real challenge comes when Ferris is attracted to a beautiful nurse Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani), and he can't keep the relationship secret.
Body of Lies is directed by Ridley Scott and based on the novel of the same title by author David Ignatius, a veteran journalist who covered the CIA and Middle Eastern affairs for 10 years for The Wall Street Journal. Here is a thriller that reveals the latest twists and turns in the war on terrorism. Whereas America has the advantage of sophisticated weaponry and high tech tools, the terrorists have found clever ways of subverting that edge. In one of the most gripping scenes in the film, Ferris is meeting with some terrorists in the desert and being monitored by a Predator drone overhead. Four cars arrive and drive in circles around the American agent, stirring up the sand into a cloud so that the monitors can't see which car he gets into. As the cars go off in different directions, the Americans overhead don't know which one to follow.
Although Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe impress with their performances, Mark Strong steals the spotlight as the elegantly dressed and superbly confident Jordanian intelligence chief. His relationship with Ferris prompts the agent to consider afresh the meaning of trust.
Special DVD features include a commentary by director Ridley Scott, screenwriter William Monahan, and original novel author David Ignatius; and "Actionable Intelligence: Deconstructing Body of Lies" - key sequences are explored in depth via on-set footage and cast/crew interviews.
