'Body of Lies' delivers on the suspense

THE BOX OFFICE curse of the War on Terror certainly hurt "Body of Lies," Ridley Scott's thriller about spy games in the Middle East.

The movie starred Leonardo DiCaprio as a capable CIA man trying to infiltrate an Al Qaeda cell, interfered with at every turn by his meddlesome boss (Russell Crowe).

The complex narrative eventually gets a little too cute (the movie earned decidedly mixed reviews), but "Body of Lies" is stylish and suspenseful, and a reminder that Scott is one of the few directors who can still deliver a decent action sequence. The opening set piece featuring a helicopter attack on a convoy of warring SUVs is top-notch.

Scott also has grown into a pretty good director of actors - he gets good work out of the maturing DiCaprio. Crowe is also fine, although audiences probably didn't want to see him as a fat, insolent bureaucrat.

The scene-stealer, though, is British actor Mark Strong playing the suave, Jordanian chief of intelligence. The crackling dialogue comes courtesy of "Departed" scribe William Monahan.

Single disc, no extras, $28.89. Two-disc edition, with bonus features, available for $34.89.

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Commentary by director Marc Abraham, deleted scenes, $29.98.