DiCaprio and Scott start talking ‘Lies’

The LA Times’ Chris Lee has reported an interesting story about Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Body of Lies,” but the best anecdote is right at the top:

“If I’m going to get down to brass tacks, there’s no rules,” Scott exclaimed, sitting on the sun-drenched deck of his West Hollywood production company. He was speaking hypothetically about his willingness to use torture to extract information from a suspected terrorist — a pivotal plot point in the knighted British director’s political thriller “Body of Lies”…

“If I want to get the information out of somebody, I have to do it,” Scott continued. “And it makes it a lot easier if that person put a bomb in a square or blew up a bunch of kids. I’d definitely take a cricket bat to him.” He glanced over at DiCaprio for confirmation. “Right?”

DiCaprio clamped his lips together, averted eye contact and almost imperceptibly shook his head no. Awkward moment, anyone? The hard-charging director suddenly reversed course. “Never let me be the head of any counter-terrorist organization,” Scott said, chuckling.

Lee has apparently seen “Body of Lies,” by the way, judging by his descriptions.  He calls the film “a deliberate throwback to Nixon-era conspiracy thrillers, films that spotlighted American political skulduggery and corruption…The film offers plenty of other visceral stimulation as well, tautly paced around shootouts, car chases and lushly photographed explosions courtesy of cinematographer Alexander Witt.  Big ideas too.”