Body of Lies
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: October 10, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
15
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
The film has one indelible asset: Mark Strong, who plays the Jordanian spymaster Hani. He's sleek and lounge-lizard sharp like a young Andy Garcia, and he could be bigger than Garcia. The Jordanian holds all the cards, and opposite two superstars, Strong is the only actor who holds the camera. Read full review
50
VarietyTodd McCarthy
A mostly formulaic approach that becomes more disappointing as the yarn unwinds. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
As it is, the movie is a hodgepodge of borrowings and half-cooked ideas, flung together into a feverishly edited jet-setting exercise in purposeless intensity. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
For all of Ferris's desperate struggles, and for all the director's efforts to emulate the remarkable verisimilitude he achieved in "Black Hawk Down," his new film remains abstract and unaffecting. It's a study in semisimilitude, more Google-Earthly than grounded in feelings. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Lacks, a story that makes it feel personal. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Like Scott's last picture, "American Gangster," this is a little too slick and commanding for its own good; despite Crowe and DiCaprio's best efforts, their characters keep getting flattened by the steamroller narrative. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Aside from a nifty new way to avoid surveillance in the middle of the desert, there's nothing here we haven't seen in many other movies - including "Spy Game," directed by Scott's brother Tony before 9/11. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The sickly feeling that Body of Lies leaves at its conclusion isn't just about the brutality of its subject; it's the realization that real-life barbarism translates so easily into adrenaline kicks for the multiplex. Read full review
50
SlateDana Stevens
DiCaprio and Crowe, two supposedly high-wattage movie stars, are remarkably dull to watch together--perhaps because so many of their scenes together take place over the phone. Read full review
50
TimeRichard Corliss
In all, Body of Lies is a mixed bag of treats and trials, but it should be seen by audiences, and emulated and improved upon by other top directors. Read full review
42
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
It's a lot easier to follow than "Syriana." But intelligibility is about the only thing this international thriller has going for it. Read full review
40
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Excessively intricate and extremely dull, the latest example of a filmmaker giving us a disjointed, overlong movie that’s unnecessarily confusing to follow. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
It's like torture, though Body of Lies has nothing to spill. Read full review
40
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Depressingly inert. Read full review
40
EmpireIan Nathan
For all the enthralling visuals and action, the film feels garbled. Read full review
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