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
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Body of Lies neither panders nor condescends. It involves current events and has a political viewpoint, but it overplays neither. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazinePerry Seibert
The crisply photographed and edited Body of Lies reveals some ambition, for while it certainly works as pure entertainment, this tale of a good man trying to extract himself from an impossible situation offers some commentary on America's feelings about being in Iraq. Read full review
80
Village VoiceScott Foundas
Its generic attributes (and title) notwithstanding, Scott's film may be the sharpest of all the post-9/11 thrillers--and also the most purely entertaining--in the way it maps the vectors and currents of the modern intelligence-gathering game without losing us in its dense narrative thicket. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Body of Lies is a James Bond plot inserted into today's headlines. The film wants to be persuasive in its expertise about modern spycraft, terrorism, the CIA and Middle East politics. But its hero is a lone ranger who operates in three countries, single-handedly creates a fictitious terrorist organization, and survives explosions, gunfights, and brutal torture. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
The result is commendably non-West-centric, but no less sentimentally conceived. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Fascinating and flawed spy thriller. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It's not like the screens are so flooded with decent movies that we couldn't use another, particularly a timely, clear-eyed thriller about the Middle East and the role of the U.S. therein. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
As good as it is in pieces, its protagonists are distancing, its story is tangled, its film-noir cynicism is oppressive and unglamorous, and it just doesn't leave us with the satisfying unity of the kind of great movie it wants to be. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Leonardo DiCaprio brings straight-razor reflexes and rooted emotion to the role of a deceptively rugged CIA man. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It's a genre film - the action is fierce and nonstop - with a brooding undercurrent of unease that aims for the complexities of John le Carre. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
It may not be as much fun as old spy movies starring Cary Grant or more recent entertainments such as "Spy Game," directed by Ridley's brother Tony, but it feels all too accurate. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDavid Denby
The movie is smart and tightly drawn; it has a throat-gripping urgency and some serious insights, and Scott has a greater command of space and a more explicit way with violence than most thriller directors. Read full review
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
With its urgent post-9/11 context and often brutal violence, it seems off-key to describe Body of Lies as a nifty political thriller, but that's what it is. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Always crisp and watchable. But as the film's episodic story gradually reveals itself, it ends up too unconvincing and conventional to consistently hold our attention. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Ftrangely emotionless. There's little offered in the form of rooting interests or compassionate characterizations, making the film ultimately as ephemeral as its title. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Doesn't have much new to offer in either style or substance. It's got the same glossy-gritty urban warfare sheen as "Black Hawk Down" and every other Third-World geopolitical action thriller of the last few years. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The most interesting thing about this slick but frustrating picture is the way it puts Crowe’s Hoffman at the center of our mixed feelings. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A tautly paced, well-acted espionage thriller with the requisite explosions and action sequences. Still, it ends up leaving the viewer rather cold. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The romance seems tacked on as a way to humanize this character; there's no reason the nurse would take up with a brash, secretive American. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
It's a generic, clunky title. The movie isn't quite as disposable, but it's not exactly memorable, either. Read full review
63
PremiereEric Kohn
Scott doesn't bring much to the table as an action director, and his keen storytelling abilities go invisible here. Read full review
More From This Movie

57 Critic Reviews

7.1 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 63 Normal
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL