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by Jonathan McKee and Todd Pearage Rated R for strong violence including some torture, and for language throughout. Directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down) Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe Jonathan's Rating: Theatre Worthy Todd's Rating: Theatre Worthy Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a covert CIA operative working in Jordan searching for terrorists who have been bombing civilian targets. Ferris uncovers information on the Islamist mastermind Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul). He devises a plan to infiltrate Al-Saleem's terrorist network with the help of his boss back in Langley, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Ferris enlists the help of the Chief of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong) on this operation, but he doesn't know how far he can trust him without putting his life in danger. The uneasy alliance leads to a cultural and moral clash between the men. TODD’S WORD: I’m not going to apologize for enjoying this movie. Body of Lies is a Ridley Scott action-packed thrill ride…which is good if you love those kinds of movies and by the way, I do. Sure it lacks depth and creativity, but when you are chest deep in action sequences, who cares?!? JONATHAN’S WORD: Ppppppptblah! Sorry. I just spit out my popcorn. You’re kidding, right? I mean… about that whole “who cares about depth and creativity?” Because otherwise I’m going to have to start liking Steven Seagal films! TODD’S WORD: I wouldn’t go THAT far! We’re talking Ridley Scott here. This isn’t just mindless action. No doubt Ridley Scott is in his element and gives us more of his solid action-movie direction while the cast shines bright. DiCaprio is superb and Crowe, who put on 50 pounds, is almost unrecognizable. JONATHAN’S WORD: Well I enjoyed the film too. The performances were excellent. But I think the film had a lot more to offer than just action. I thought the script was engaging. Much like Enemy of the State and Black Hawk Down… we gain scary insight to how powerful “big brother” America is with their surveillance. And we also see how overconfidence in this power can be a huge mistake. TODD’S WORD: The story itself, while fictional, is intriguing and fairly believable, as well as easy to follow. But it’s the special effects that left me with the biggest impression. The satellite views, explosions and the doctors removing someone else’s bone fragments from Ferris’ arm are fascinating. JONATHAN’S WORD: I didn’t care about bone fragments. I enjoyed the relationship between American and Jordon intelligence agents, an element we don’t see onscreen very often. Much like Peter Berg’s The Kingdom (which I liked a little better than this). TODD’S WORD: When it’s all said and done, Body of Lies, is not the smartest spy movie, but that’s O.K., I’m not the smartest guy. JONATHAN’S WORD: I can vouch for that! TODD’S WORD: I know it has flaws but it really was an entertaining Theater Worthy movie. SHOULD KIDS SEE IT? Jonathan recently wrote an entire article on this subject (CLICK HERE for that article) and I agree with him. Although there are some pretty rough scenes of violence and torture, there are no sex or nudity scenes so this should be O.K. for some older teens. I also think in light of current events, this and films like The Kingdom are great discussion starters. 
Jonathan McKee, president of The Source for Youth Ministry, is the author of numerous
youth ministry books including the brand new Connect: Real Relationships
in a World of Isolation, and the award winning books Do They
Run When They See You Coming? and Getting Students to
Show Up. He speaks and trains at camps, conferences, and
events across North America, and provides free resources for youth workers internationally on his website,
TheSource4YM.com.
Todd Pearage is a movie buff at heart, but he's not your traditional film critic.
Todd is a blue collar film geek, from his job years ago at Blockbuster to his heartfelt online movie reviews. But
Todd isn't just a film geek. He has worked with middle and high school students since 1991 as a youth pastor in
Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. Todd and his wife Lynda are both graduates of Philadelphia Biblical
University and have two children, Brianna and Caleb. Todd loves sports and movies and is always up for a good laugh.
He is a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and his favorite movies include Braveheart and Tommy Boy. Todd's reviews
reflect his love for kids and for his family.
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