Body of Lies: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe CIA Thriller Officially Hits Apple TV
A spy story set in Jordan
Released in 2008, Body of Lies follows a CIA operative trying to track down a terrorist while working undercover in Jordan. His handler, based in Virginia, guides him from afar.
DiCaprio plays the field operative, and Crowe plays the handler. Strong portrays the head of Jordan’s intelligence agency, while Farahani plays the operative’s love interest.
A film from Ridley Scott
Scott directed the thriller during the height of Homeland’s popularity, when public concern about American security was prominent. Its Middle East political setting places it before later films including Green Zone, The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.
The movie arrived the same year as The Dark Knight, another major release that explored America as a surveillance state. It remains a smaller title in Scott’s filmography.
Early role for Oscar Isaac
Body of Lies also gave Oscar Isaac an early major role. He later worked with Scott again on Robin Hood, a period action film that ended Scott and Crowe’s decade-long creative collaboration.
The thriller did not match the box-office success of Scott and Crowe’s Gladiator or the acclaim of American Gangster. It has, however, resurfaced from time to time on streaming charts.
Key points
- Body of Lies is now available on Apple TV.
- Leonardo DiCaprio plays a CIA operative working in Jordan.
- Russell Crowe portrays the operative’s handler in Virginia.
- The 2008 film was directed by Ridley Scott.