STORY
Based on Washington Post columnist David Ignatius' 2007 novel about a CIA operative, Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), who uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of Jordan. When Ferris devises a plan to infiltrate his network, he must first win the backing of cunning CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) and the collegial, but perhaps suspect, head of Jordanian intelligence. Although ostensibly his allies, Ferris questions how far he can really trust these men without putting his entire operation - and his life - on the line.
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Carice van Houten, Michael Gaston, Vince Colosimo, Ben Youcef, Ali Suliman, Jennifer Rouse, Omar Berdouni, Clara Khoury, Lubna Azabal, Vedant Gokhale, Allen Lidkey, Zef Balbona
Directors: Ridley Scott
Writer: William Monahan, Steve Zaillian
Producers: Donald De Line, Ridley Scott
Executive Producers: Michael Costigan, Charles J.D. Schlissel
Art Direction: Marco Trentini
Casting: Jina Jay, Avy Kaufman
Costumes: Catherine Martin
D.O.P.: Alexander Witt
Editor: Pietro Scalia
Music: Marc Streitenfeld
Production Design: Arthur Max
Set Decoration: Sonja Klaus
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cinematographic Process: Super 35
Filming Locations: Annapolis, USA; Baltimore, USA; Ouarzazate, Morocco; Rabat, Morocco; Washington DC, USA
Film Negative Format: 35m
MPAA Warning: Strong violence including some torture, and for language throughout
Production Companies: De Line Pictures, Scott Free Productions
Production Schedule: 5th September 2007- December 2007
Web Sites: Official Site - The IMDb
Trivia
- DiCaprio chose to pursue the role because he considered it a throwback to political films in the 1970s such as The Parallax View (1974) and Three Days of the Condor (1975).
- Crowe lost 30 pounds to suit his role. The actor said as a result of the film's exploration of the American government and foreign policy, "I don’t think it will be very popular, but that’s never been part of my project choice process.".
- Mark Strong ascribed his acquisition of the role to his performances in the 2005 films Syriana and Oliver Twist.
- Both the novel and the film were previously titled "Penetration".
- Scott sought to film in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, but the federation's National Media Council denied the director permission due to the script's politically sensitive nature. As a result, scenes set in the Middle East were instead filmed in Morocco.
- Part of a Washington DC neighborhood was converted to resemble a wintry Amsterdam to film ten to fifteen seconds of a car bombing.
