So, Will Smith plays this dude who works in Washington, D.C. He's just going about his life one day when an old acquaintance bumps into him on the street and, unbeknownst to Will, passes him a disc containing government secrets. Suddenly the government is using its massive collection of satellites and surveillance cameras to track Smith everywhere he goes. Smith can't trust anybody and the twists and turns are many. It's a wild ride.

What's that?

Will Smith isn't in "Body of Lies"? Oops.

You'll have to forgive my confusion. Ridley Scott (who directed "Body of Lies") must have greatly admired his brother Tony's 1998 film, because "Body of Lies" is pretty much "Enemy of the State" with a few alterations.

Will Smith has been replaced by Leonardo DiCaprio, for starters. DiCaprio plays CIA operative Roger Ferris, on the ground in the Middle East carrying out missions as assigned by his handler, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Will Smith and Gene Hackman were a brilliant pair in "Enemy of the State," playing off one another in a manner that made some of that film's ridiculousness easier to stomach. DiCaprio and Crowe are just as good, maybe better.

Ferris is very similar to the character DiCaprio played in "The Departed," so perhaps it is no coincidence that William Monahan wrote both films. In any case, DiCaprio is well versed in playing a man who's decent at his core but must do evil to accomplish his tasks.

Crowe, on the other hand, is very un-Crowe-like as Hoffman. I'd estimate he put on at least 30 pounds to play the doughy CIA analyst, and coupled with his Southern drawl and smug arrogance, it is actually easy to forget you're watching the movie star Russell Crowe. Hoffman is an irritating character, seemingly always looking at others with his head cocked downward so he can peer over the top of his glasses. He's not nearly as smart as he thinks he is, either, which makes him more of a hindrance to Ferris than anything else.

Obviously, "Body of Lies" largely takes place in the Middle East, so that too differs from the Washington D.C.-based "Enemy of the State." Still, while Smith's character was running away from corrupt American spooks and Ferris is dealing with Middle Eastern terrorists, the feel of the two films is almost identical. Tony and Ridley both love the aerial view that satellites provide as characters like Hoffman sit safely in a control room and watch characters like Ferris risk their lives. The scope and clarity of global surveillance Hoffman has at his disposal is surely an exaggeration of reality - otherwise I have to think Bin Laden would have long ago been captured - but it does keep things interesting.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Tony's "Enemy of the State" and Ridley's "Body of Lies," however, is that "Enemy" is both more entertaining and more fun. Yes, "Body of Lies" is automatically more serious because it takes on the relevant theme of terrorism. And yes, it's more than watchable from start to finish thanks to Ridley Scott's eye and superb performances from Crowe, DiCaprio and English actor Mark Strong, who plays the intimidating, clever head of Jordanian Intelligence.

Once all the lies have been revealed, though, "Body of Lies," much like Hoffman, is not nearly as clever as it thinks it is (was the conventional love interest subplot really necessary?).

When Tony and Ridley Scott sit down for Thanksgiving dinner next month, and the topic of spy-thrillers is brought up, Tony should be able to keep his bragging rights.