BODY OF LIES (15) Action/Thriller. Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Oscar Isaac, Ali Suliman, Alon Aboutboul. Director: Ridley Scott.

In the war on terror, there are no winners, only victims.

Power to bring the conflict to a resolution rests not in the trembling hands of soldiers – the brave men and women who risk their lives in the name of freedom – but in the upper echelons of power in Washington DC and Langley, Virginia.

In these silent corridors, nameless men in suits pore over covert intelligence, making bold decisions, which could result in the loss of hundreds of innocent lives: collateral damage deemed necessary to track down the masterminds behind the atrocities.

Opening with a devastating explosion on these shores, Body Of Lies channels timely fears about the fight against terrorism into a routine spy caper, enlivened sporadically by the directorial brio of Ridley Scott.

The British filmmaker grafts some robust, adrenaline-pumping action sequences onto the disappointingly linear plot, including the bombing of a Dutch market, which leaves us feeling queasy as the horrifying moment of impact replays via CCTV. Viewers of a nervous disposition should look away.

CIA supervisor Ed Hoffman (Crowe) is a key player in overseas operations. From the comfort of his suburban life as a doting father, Ed co-ordinates the day-to-day activities of agent Roger Ferris (DiCaprio), who is authorised to use extreme force.

Ed and Roger pursue the elusive Al-Saleem (Aboutboul), head of a terrorist cell, which is responsible for numerous bombings across Europe.

To achieve his goal, Roger aligns himself with Hani Salaam (Strong), head of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department (GID).

"I have one rule if you are to co-operate, my dear," Hani warns the US agent, "never lie to me."

But Roger is frugal with the truth and sparks a tentative romance with Jordanian-Iranian nurse Aisha (Farahani), who tends to his wounds at a clinic.

The relationship exposes Roger, and Al-Saleem seizes the opportunity to strike back with deadly effect.

There is nothing subtle about Body Of Lies.

The romantic subplot is merely a crude plot device to facilitate a pivotal torture scene.

DiCaprio is lacklustre in a predominately reactive role, but Crowe impresses as an overweight family man, juggling energetic children with decisions of national importance via a mobile phone and omnipresent earpiece, which never appears to lose signal range.

Now that's impressive.