Hollywood's recent forays into the War On Terror have been largely shunned by filmgoers as evidenced by the failures of such films as Rendition, Lions for Lambs and Stop-Loss. Ridley Scott's Body of Lies is the latest offering and its unrealized potential in making a bold statement in an emotionally-charged election season is disappointing. Even the presence of such industry heavyweights as Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan can not elevate an intriguing storyline above shoot-em-up clichès and unnecessary plot diversions.

DiCaprio portrays Roger Ferris, a CIA-operative deeply embedded behind enemy lines. Fluent in Arab languages and culture, he is a true "inside man" on a mission to infiltrate the inner workings of Islamic terror cells. The urgency for action intensifies as a mastermind named Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul) embarks on a series of catastrophic suicide-bombings across Europe. The threat of such attacks reaching U.S. soil is unspoken yet dials up the need for swift response. Ferris teams with a Jordanian intelligence officer named Hani Salaam (Mark Strong) to expose Al-Saleem. Together, the two make an unlikely pair driven by separate agendas. Naturally, a level of mistrust exists, yet they share mutual respect for one another in spite of ideologies on opposite ends of the spectrum. The scenes between DiCaprio and Strong crackle with intensity and suspense.

The fly in the ointment is the looming presence of Ferris' boss, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe, packing an extra 30 pounds). Based in Langley, Virginia, and armed with Big Brother-like eye-in-the sky drones to monitor every movement Ferris makes on the ground, Hoffman is the ultimate policy wonk. Armed with a simplistic "America is Right" ideology, he orchestrates CIA operations on the ground like an all-knowing sovereign. Seated in front of three large screens at CIA headquarters, he monitors Ferris' progress with the emotionally detached callousness of one watching a Saturday afternoon matinee. Safely nestled stateside, he constantly barks commands and dictates policy by means of a cellphone while performing such mundane domestic tasks as having breakfast with his son or taking his daughter to school. The dichotomy between those dictating national security policy and those carrying it out is striking. Hoffman cannot mask his irritation as his authority is challenged by the headstrong Ferris. In Hoffman's world, subordinates are viewed as disposable and easily replaced.

Unfortunately, the film takes a downward spiral as Scott allows the film to descend into formulaic, action-driven narrative. In addition, a distracting half-hearted attempt at cross-cultural romance between Ferris and a Muslim nurse (Golshifteh Farahani) falls flat.

Bright spots are the powerful performances of Crowe and DiCaprio, which make it all ultimately watchable and enjoyable. Yet one is left with a feeling that this was missed opportunity to illustrate the pitfalls of blind loyalty to any ideal whether it is a nation, a worldview, or a religious system. These powder-keg subjects are pussyfooted around so much that Body of Lies is robbed of its impact emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. Too bad, because there is no better time than now for us to examine our hearts to determine if our presuppositions and allegiances, whatever they might be, may be short-sighted or misplaced altogether.