Body of Lies
Ridley Scottand Russell Crowe first collaborated on the historical natural action filmGladiator , and their teaming prove fruitful indeed , as the moving picture went on to gross $ 465 million worldwide while pull ahead five Oscars , including Best Picture , and Best Actor for Crowe . This despite the film ’s many inaccuracies , which have been documented incessantly over the eld .
Gladiatorgot the Crowe - Scott team off on a good foot , but the partnership would n’t go along until 2006’sA Good Year , a remaining - hand - bout into quixotic - comedy that proved a flop , grossing just $ 42 million . Scott and Crowe returned from that disappointment with 2007’sAmerican Gangster , co - starring Denzel Washington as actual - life crime figure of speech Frank Lucas . praise by critic ( as reflected in its 81 % wise Rotten Tomatoes rating ) , the film marked a boxful office rebound for the Crowe / Scott team , gross $ 269 million – even though , again , the film had many inaccuracy , as confirm by the real Lucas .
Crowe And Scott’s Body Of Lies Gets High Marks For Accuracy, Outside Of One Big Stretch
Leonardo DiCaprio Co-Starred In The 2008 Movie
Body of Lieswas a box - office disappointment for Crowe and Scott , grossing just $ 118 million , but the movie still gets a good grade for realism from a counter - terrorism expert . The spy thriller star Crowe as a CIA chief , the superior officeholder to Leonardo DiCaprio ’s subject area agent , who collaborate with Jordanian intelligence to trail down a infamous Al - Quaeda terrorist .
bearing of inaccuracy leveled againstGladiatorandAmerican Gangsterlikely intend little to Scott , who almost always prioritise dramatic effect over “ reality . ”
A former CIA agent himself , John Kiriakou intermit downBody of LiesforInsider , and found much to praise in the film ’s depiction of on - the - ground intelligence piece of work ( commence at 17:33 of the clip ) . First off , Kiriakou give the film kudos for depicting intelligence information cooperation in a naturalistic light :
So this was exclusively straight to living . intelligence activity liaison cooperation happens every twenty-four hour period in every capital in every country around the world . It profit everybody to have a liaison kinship , even with a commonwealth that you might be enemies with . Leonardo DiCaprio went to the Jordanian word service and enunciate we need a source inside Al - Qaeda , gave his Jordanian counterpart the file . Counterterrorism is an easy one correct ? Just about everybody ’s going to cooperate on counterterrorism .
The expert then broke down a scene where an Arabic Al - Qaeda member is recruited to be a spy , explaining why the sequence nails it in term of realism :
A white guy with blond whisker and blue eyes is not going to infiltrate Al - Qaeda , but that cat will . And then another myth that comes out of Hollywood is that the CIA is able to now infiltrate foreign terrorist groups . That ’s just simply not true . one-half of the the great unwashed at the CIA who utter Arabic have blond hair and patrician middle , are African - American , talk Arabic with an American accent . You ’re not going to penetrate a terrorist group that way . What you have to do is to recruit access agents who can do it on your behalf .
Image via Warner Bros
Body of Liesdoes hold one glaringly silly scene , according to Kiriakou . The expert suppose the movie goes too far when DiCaprio stages a bold false flag surgical procedure against an American initiation :
Can you imagine writing a cable’s length to headquarters and saying , “ I have an idea for an surgery : rent ’s blow up the American embassy ? ” you’re able to implement a fictitious flagstone mathematical operation . A simulated masthead operation is when you do something and either fault it on someone else or earmark someone else to take credit . But no , not like we find in the cartridge holder .
Kirkiakou givesBody of Liesa high grade , even though he find part of its plot line totally unbelievable :
Discover the latest news and filmography for Ridley Scott, known for Gladiator and Blade Runner.
The account of the human relationship is so near . I ’d give it an eight . The only reason I would n’t give it a nine or ten is because the bombing of this American facility is just so batty .
Our Take On Body Of Lies' High Accuracy Score (And That One Caveat)
The Movie Should Have Sacrificed Some Realism For More Drama
Charges of inaccuracy level againstGladiatorandAmerican Gangsterlikely think of piffling to Scott , who almost always prioritizes striking impression over “ realism . ”Body of Liesindeed is more close to reality than those films , at least accord to one expert , but this may not have worked in the movie ’s favor . GladiatorandAmerican Gangstermay be less spot - on in terms of realistic detail , but they ’re also much more effective as movies .
torso of Lieswas written by William Monohan , based on the book by David Ignatius
The one glaringly preposterous plot line pointed out in Kiriakou ’s breakdown – the false flag bombing of an American readiness – is actually one of the movie ’s more dramatic moments . PerhapsBody of Liesshould have go less for truth , and more for punchy drama . A high accuracy score from an expert is a fine compliment to get , but the only number that matters is the box - office gross , and that ’s whereBody of Liesfell brusk .
Source : Insider
key out the latest news and filmography for Ridley Scott , recognize for Gladiator and Blade Runner .
Discover the latest news and filmography for Ridley Scott, known for Gladiator and Blade Runner.
