BODY OF LIES

RYAN: “Body of Lies,” starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, is yet another war movie.

CAROLINE: Honestly, I thought Hollywood had learned its lesson after last year’s multiple war movie flops. I’m not saying this is a bad movie, but it’s another Middle East/terrorist/Iraq War movie; and I’m saying enough is enough.

RYAN: As a rule, I really don’t enjoy watching war movies; especially ones about the current war because it makes me think that as I’m watching the movie, something like this could actually be happening. It’s upsetting. We go to the movies to escape, and I don’t want to sit there thinking about terrorism.

CAROLINE: Exactly. I’ll just watch CNN all day if I want to see this stuff, though admittedly CNN does not star Leonardo DiCaprio. BTW don’t go into this movie expecting major scenes between Leo and Russell Crowe because there aren’t that many.

RYAN: That’s the other thing that bugged me. This is not the first time we’ve seen two major stars in a film together who barely have any joint scenes. And I don’t like it because all we want is to see them interact. And hopefully get some fireworks.

CAROLINE: They do have a couple scenes together but they’re few and far between. Leonardo has a much bigger part than Russell, though of course, both are very good. Russell has a bad wig and is about 40 lbs. overweight.

RYAN: At least! He’s a heifer. Mark Strong is also in the film, who I loved in “Stardust” and “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.”

CAROLINE: He’s also in the new Guy Ritchie movie “RocknRolla,” which opens today in limited release. We’ll post our review on Monday.

RYAN: He’s totally on the rise, not only as star, but also as one of my favorite actors. He’s gorgeous, and this is a really interesting role for him. He totally stole this movie for me.

CAROLINE: He’s excellent. I recognized his face immediately but couldn’t remember what he’d been in. This is a big year for him. As for the movie itself, it’s certainly well made. It is a Ridley Scott film after all. I enjoyed a good chunk of the beginning, but then I realized it was just another movie about jihad and the Middle East and it wasn’t different or interesting enough to keep me engrossed. There aren’t too many graphic war scenes thankfully, though there’s a pretty brutal torture scene. I just don’t think this movie will provide the escapism that people are looking for during these troubled times.

RYAN: It wasn’t nearly as smart as “The Bourne Ultimatum” or one of those movies that keeps you guessing. It’s totally straightforward and too long, and though I was never out-and-out bored, I wasn’t ever fully enjoying it either. I was just sitting there matter-of-factly.

CAROLINE: I’m totally with you. Bottom line?

RYAN: I don’t really recommend war movies, but if you want to see one, go see “Miracle at St. Anna.” That’s a great war movie and it’s different because it’s about WWII so it’s not another terrorist movie. It tells a new story that we’ve never seen before.

CAROLINE: I wouldn’t recommend that one myself, but you should go see “Body of Lies” only if you know what you’re getting yourself into or if you love these two actors. It’s very political and timely and hard to watch at times. If you like watching the news and seeing the horrors of war from the CIA point of view, you’ll like this movie.