Ferris has a line in the movie where he explains his attitude towards Hani when he first meets him. He said showing respect to elders was how it was normally done in Hani's culture. His job was ultimately to get Hani to play the way Hoffman wanted him to, and antagonizing Hani from the get-go by showing what Hani would consider disrespect just wouldn't do it. At the end of the movie I think Ferris has an actual grudging respect for Hani, who after all was the only one who was able to capture Al-Saleem (by using Ferris as bait!).
I didn't consider Ferris to be a particularly honest guy, at least not at the start of the movie. He's just a guy who gets things done, no matter what it takes. That's why he was a hot-shot with rapid promotions in the Middle East. If Ferris was being honest with himself, he would have turned on Hoffman a lot sooner. The movie from the very beginning is a series of screw-ups by Hoffman, who continually undercuts Ferris' field work.
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gorachacha
15 years ago
At one point, Ferris wants Hani's help, so he kowtows. Later on, when Hani's help doesn't get him anything, he expediently keeps Hani deluded. I find nothing particularly wrong with anything that he does. The only thing that was hard for me was his willingness to trust that things are as they seem. I mean here he was creating an illusion, so why didn't he question the reality of what HE was seeing? Are we supposed to believe his feelings for Aisha tripped him up?
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