Convincing and gripping, Body of Lies is at the epicentre of Ridley Scott's comfort zone as an action adventure with political overtones as well as some intimate human insights
Comment
10/04/08
Body of Lies (2008)
51
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:189
Fresh:96
Rotten:93
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Body of Lies relies on the performances of Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio to elevate it beyond the conventional espionage thriller.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Oct 9, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $39,380,442
Synopsis: Leonardo DiCaprio fights terrorists for the CIA in this rapid-fire thriller from director Ridley Scott (GLADIATOR, BLACK HAWK DOWN). While Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) gets his hands dirty on the... [More]
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani
Director: Ridley Scott
Reviews for Body of Lies
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticLeonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe fire up Ridley Scott's terrific political thriller, which might finally drag audiences to a flick about the War On Terror.
10/08/08
Top CriticThe complex plot is rendered with clarity and precision, the action scenes are very well staged, the suspense is palpable, and the performances are first-rate.
10/10/08
Top CriticBody of Lies may not tell us anything we didn't already know about the way the US does business in the Middle East, but it's compelling nonetheless.
10/17/08
Top CriticExciting enough while it's unfolding, but it lacks an original element and there aren't enough scenes where Crowe and DiCaprio are playing off each other.
10/17/08
Top CriticBy the end, Body Of Lies is revealed as just another big-budget movie designed to cash in on the real-enough Middle East conflicts. It's a gangster movie without cops and criminals.
10/10/08
Top CriticDespite the dog-eared set-ups and situations, Body of Lies also has a lot going for it.
10/10/08
Top CriticLies and consequences form the heart of this bold, hard-hitting drama in which people are used as commodities, while Big Brother keeps a watchful eye -- both DiCaprio and Crowe inhabit their characters totally
10/04/08
Top CriticA respectable second-rank thriller -- intelligent but muddled, action-packed but thoughtful.
10/17/08
Top CriticSome show is made of plunging the viewer into a dense cloud of moral ambiguity, but this is mostly smoke and mirrors: while the American heroes may employ some dubious tactics, the justice of their cause is never in doubt.
10/10/08
Top CriticSyriana, this ain’t. Ridley Scott’s latest misses the scope, texture or depth to dig into the moral mess of the war on terror. But this entertaining techno-thriller feeds greedily off star performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Strong.
11/21/08
On this basic premise builds a complicated story plied with onion layers of perspective and cunning.
10/10/08
Body of Lies clicks along at an engaging pace, legibly limning its multitude of characters and even throwing in a good bit of wry humor.
10/09/08
Top CriticFor the most part, this is a pretty solid thriller that combines Government mumble jumble with some pretty exciting action sequences.
10/08/08
A complicated movie about the war on terror with two terrific performances and a terrific director.
11/10/08
Body of Lies is certainly one of most well-crafted and intellectually engaging political thrillers to come along this year.
10/09/08
Anchored by an amazing performance by Leonardo DiCaprio and little else, Body of Lies limps along for over two hours, never amounting to more than a decent, if derivative nailbiter.
10/09/08
It's no surprise that Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe are so good in Body of Lies, Ridley Scott's thrilling film about the war on terror, its costs and its frustrations.
10/09/08
"Body of Lies" is an intelligent geopolitical thriller that ... is really about the manipulation of people like chess pieces on a worldwide board.
10/10/08
Like the intelligence officers it portrays, Body of Lies uses double-crosses and slight of hand to conceal a fairly formulaic story and a climax as offensively conventional as it gets.
10/10/08
Latest News for Body of Lies
February 16, 2009:
RT on DVD: High School Musical 3 or Midnight Meat Train?
It's a good week for mediocre films (Body of Lies, Changeling, Quarantine and Flash of Genius, which all walk a fine line between Fresh and Rotten) and an even better one if... More...
February 15, 2009:
The macho swagger of these US espionage interlopers around the planet has all the finesse of a wrestling ring, while imperialism is made to come off as really sexy. Body Of Lies: An Amman Gangster. 
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February 08, 2009:
The macho swagger of these US espionage interlopers around the planet has all the finesse of a wrestling ring, while imperialism is made to come off as really sexy. Body Of Lies: An Amman Gangster.
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November 21, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Does Ridley Scott’s Body Of Lies Ring True? Is Blindness Blinding Or Bland?
It's a varied pick of films in the UK cinemas this week; we have Sir Ridley Scott's latest collaboration with Russell Crowe, the CIA thriller, Body Of Lies. Julianne Moore and... More...
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