At the Movies with Fatwayne

Liar, liar, pants on fire!  Well, I guess you have to lie if you work in the intelligence business and we have plenty of liars in this movie. The problem is that just as it is in the real world, each liar believes that his cause is righteous and thus justifies his deceptions or violence.

We have Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) who does a fine acting job as CIA handler and boss of operative Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio). It is sometimes difficult to believe that they are working on the same side as each man has a goal but utilizes his own methods to achieve that goal. This of course causes problems and even life threatening situations.

We would like to think that Hoffman is an American hero since his aim is to rid the world of terrorism thus protecting the Western way of life.  The problem is that he is amoral and thinks that people are expendable once they have served his purpose. It is interesting to watch him performing mundane family duties while talking on his ever present telephone headset and determining the fate of people.  It reminded me of Michael Corleone of the Godfather when he was attending the baptism of his child while his henchmen were out murdering his enemies.

Roger Ferris is a driven CIA operative but seems to have a conscience. Circumstances cause him to take lives but he is concerned about the welfare of his contacts. He seems to enjoy life in the Middle East and care about the people. He has special feelings for Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani) the nurse who treats his wounds and perhaps the reason he might remain in Jordan after his mission is complete.

As good as the acting by Crowe and DiCaprio is, they are hard pressed to equal that of Hani (Mark Strong) who plays the Jordanian intelligence chief. His good looks, impeccable wardrobe and classy demeanor all work to make his dark side even more frightening. He very nearly steals the show.

In the end, the directing (Ridley Scott) and the scenic shots from countries the like of Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Dubai and the Netherlands as well as superb acting make this a tense but worthwhile film.  Fatwayne thinks that you will be well served to invest your time and money into this tale of the war on terror. One caveat, it is a two hour movie and you don’t want to miss a single minute or you could miss out on a key scene or some good action.  Be warned, go to the bathroom before the movie and that big drink!

Fatwayne’s rating: