The title Body of Lies sounds like something you might catch on Cinemax on a late weekend night -- a movie starring Heather Locklear as the sultry defendant in a scandalous murder trial. It's a generic, clunky title. The movie isn't quite as disposable, but it's not exactly memorable, either.

It comes on like gangbusters, though. Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator,Black Hawk Down) seizes your attention from the get-go, plunging us into the terrifying world of Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), a CIA operative who bounces around Middle East hotspots, either trying to infiltrate terrorist cells or convincing (or bribing) someone on the inside to turn informant.

Ferris is fluent in Arabic, has a knack for getting people to trust him and does not hesitate to use violence -- when necessary. His boss at Langley headquarters is Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), a driven agency man entirely focused on maintaining the ''constant vigilance'' essential to combating the terror threat.

Hoffman's mantra is that ''no one is innocent in this [war],'' a credo that allows him to remain emotionally detached from the collateral damage the agency's investigations often wreak. Ferris tries to do the same, but being on the front line, developing personal connections with the people he's manipulating for the sake of doing his job, makes it harder to ignore one's conscience.

DiCaprio, who has played so many tormented, angst-ridden characters his brow has developed a permanent crease, makes for a sympathetic, engaging protagonist, and as the callous Hoffman, Crowe (who gained 50 pounds for the role) brings a layer of subtle humor to a man whose obsession with his job leaves room for little else in his life. When we see him participating in the lives of his wife and daughter, he seems to be patronizing them more than anything else.

The two actors have a couple of scenes together, but for much of the movie, they talk to each other via telephone. Scott, whose trademark larger-than-life visual style can sometimes overshadow his actors, tones down the slick images (much like he did in his last picture, American Gangster) to keep the viewer's focus on the complex plot, which centers on Ferris' hunt for an elusive terrorist responsible for the bombing of a shopping center in Amsterdam.

Written by William Monahan (The Departed) from the novel by David Ignatius, Body of Lies has the feel of a project that's been impeccably researched and fact-checked. The film does a good job of conveying the daunting task U.S. overseas operatives must deal with in order to achieve their goal. But there's also something vaguely schematic about the way the story plays out, right down to the improbable ending, which cops out in a hugely disappointing fashion. Body of Lies has its share of exciting moments -- Scott remains a master at directing physical action -- and it certainly couldn't be more timely. But it's also a safe and predictable movie about a subject that is neither.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Oscar Isaac, Alon Abutbul.

Director: Ridley Scott.

Screenwriter: William Monahan. Based on the novel by David Ignatius.

Producers: Ridley Scott, Donald De Line.

A Warner Bros. release. Running time: 120 minutes. Vulgar language, violence, gore, adult themes. Playing at area theaters.

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