Body of Lies

Crowe packed on the pounds and sports a southern-fried accent in another collaboration with director Scott, this time as veteran CIA operative Ed Hoffman, the stateside handler of field agent Roger Ferris (DiCaprio), who's hot on the trail of a terrorist leader in Jordan and plans to infiltrate his network. But Hoffman seems to have his own agenda, leaving Ferris to wonder whom he can trust. Fraught with formulaic post-9/11, Middle Eastern terrorist v. American spy genre cliches (satellite images, chases/explosions in the local bazaar, frantic yelling into cell phones), and elements of suspense feel manufactured by heavy doses of convoluted double-crosses. Crowe's convincing portrayal of amorality, however, props up what is an otherwise pointless rehash of the evening news. Based on the 2007 novel by David Ignatius.