The point of Body of Lies, directed by Ridley Scott and based on a novel by David Ignatius, is that the CIA is ineffective in the Middle East primarily because of distrust. One source of distrust is between those in the field, personified by Roger Ferris (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), and those at the headquarters in Langley, personified by Ed Hoffman (played by Russell Crowe). The second source is between the CIA and intelligence agencies operating within Middle Eastern countries, notably Hani (played by Mark Strong), head of Jordian intelligence. To make that point, the film uses endless violence; as a result the message is buried in rubble that piles up on the screen and muffled by fast-talking actors who never seem to confide to filmviewers what they are really doing with any clarity. They even lie to filmviewers by pretending that “jihadists” have no political agenda. The CIA’s impressive surveillance technology, moreover, is ineffective while giving an illusion of control. The one truth is that the Geneva Conventions are violated with impunity, fueling anti-American sentiment. MH
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