As the stream of political ads flooding our televisions continues to increase, it is ironic to think how the common arguments made in these ads are very similar to ones that could be made for the intolerably dull political thrillers that have been released of late. For example, the director for “Rendition” had little experience before taking on the head role, and Robert Redford and Meryl Streep — the mavericks of Hollywood — were too old and out of touch in “Lions for Lambs.” Fortunately, “Body of Lies” is the change we can believe in.

This new thriller from director Ridley Scott (“American Gangster”) is a fast-paced, thought-provoking look into terrorism and technological warfare that makes previous films covering the War on Terror appear as if they were moving in slow motion.

Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio, “Blood Diamond”) is a daring CIA operative who has been sent to Jordan by his power-hungry boss Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe, “American Gangster”) to find a high-ranking terrorist. Upon arriving, Ferris forms a shaky union with Hani Salaam (Mark Strong, “Babylon A.D.”), the shady but deceptively charming head of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department. Forced to constantly shift between alliances, Ferris must figure out who to trust and who to deceive in order to bring down the reign of terror plaguing the Middle East.

What proves to be the Achilles’ heel for most political films is that they are far too overbearing and one-sided when it comes to getting their point across. This often results in the film taking on an “us versus them” mentality where one side is glorified to no avail and the other comes across as a primitive, faceless infidel. Giving way to any of his own political or personal biases, Scott approaches this film from a neutral standpoint so that both the Americans and Arabs in the film have purpose and reason for their actions.

While some of the credit for this movie’s authenticity goes to David Ignatius, a Middle East and CIA correspondent who wrote the novel the film is based on, William Monahan’s (“The Departed”) genuine perspective on this area of the world is both impressive and refreshing for a white American screenwriter. It is always a welcomed change to see Arabs characterized as normal, everyday people instead of Hollywood’s narrow-minded idea of the stereotypical foreigner sporting a turban and thick accent.

Despite the undeniable amount of thought that went into its execution, this film still has its flaws. Because Monahan and DiCaprio had tremendous success working together in “The Departed” and Scott and Crowe have teamed up three times in the past, the film’s creators have the tendency to rely too heavily on the performances of DiCaprio and Crowe at times. There is the occasional scene where the dialogue or action manages to scrape by as passable only because of the actors onscreen.

Then again, it is hard to blame these two for wanting to put the weight of this film’s success on these talented individuals’ shoulders. DiCaprio continues to prove that he is one of the finest in the business and arguably the best when it comes to versatility. While this role will not get him nominated for that golden statue that keeps eluding him, DiCaprio’s convincing take as an undercover operative and especially his use of Arabic in the film are notable nonetheless.

A lot of credit also goes to Crowe for gaining more than 60 pounds and taking on the role of the unlikeable Hoffman. His quiet-mannered yet crass portrayal is not only amusing but also is the necessary contrast to DiCaprio’s character. The most surprising performance, though, was Strong, who provides Hani with a dark-malice-brewing-underneath-debonair-charm attitude that strikes resemblance to Al Pacino in his “Godfather” days.

As is to be expected from a film of this genre, there is a constant supply of gunfire and explosions to keep the audience at the edge of its seat. For the most part, this violence remains tasteful with the exception of a few gruesome torture scenes that could have been edited as they serve no value to the film’s overall message.

Thanks to a politically conscious screenplay by Academy Award-winner Monahan and a highly gifted cast, “Body of Lies” takes its audience on an action-packed ride that manages to not only provide plenty of captivating twists and turns but also a remarkably authentic, vivid picture of the situation in Iraq. Even with its sporadic pitfalls, this film is a campaign worth showing up for and supporting.

4 stars out of 5