"Body of Lies" is an intelligent geopolitical thriller that ... is really about the manipulation of people like chess pieces on a worldwide board.
Comment
10/10/08
Body of Lies (2008)
51
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:188
Fresh:96
Rotten:92
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
101 - 120 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Body of Lies moves so fast you don't notice its oddball structure.
10/10/08
Body of Lies is a riddle wrapped in an enigma served with a side of mystery meat. It's very watchable, with some entertaining action beats, kind of a Syriania as scripted by Tom Clancy, a The Kingdom with a little less C.S.I.
10/10/08
It's a well-crafted, suspenseful effort that at least tries to appear intelligent and aware.
10/10/08
It's a little bit of Syriana, a lot of Traitor -- and an awful lot of scenes of people cursing into cell phones.
10/10/08
Body of Lies is being hailed in some quarters as a 'new' kind of war thriller. While this glitzy production may attract audiences suffering from battle fatigue, it's nothing of the sort.
10/10/08
The movie isn’t witty or memorable, but it keeps you on edge, and it’s the first war-on-terror film to weave its anti-U.S. politics so deeply into the narrative that the characters don’t need to speechify.
10/10/08
Art may be imitating life, but it sure makes for dull movies. Body of Lies is the latest example of what a crutch this has become -- show grainy satellite images, cut to a chase in a crowded bazaar, discuss 'intel'. Repeat.
10/10/08
Unfortunately, we've seen variations on this story a dozen times.
10/10/08
An apocalyptic vision of cloak-and-dagger intelligence, Lies is like a suicide note written by Tom Clancy, but the movie's gloomy inaccessibility actually makes it all the more intriguing.
10/10/08
Body of Lies has its share of exciting moments -- Scott remains a master at directing physical action -- and it certainly couldn't be more timely. But it's also a safe and predictable movie about a subject that is neither.
10/10/08
As the film's episodic story gradually reveals itself, it ends up too unconvincing and conventional to consistently hold our attention.
10/10/08
Top CriticA well-crafted but curiously generic spy thriller that, for its final hour at least, comes off as formulaic as its title.
10/10/08
A stumbling block for myself as a big, fat American who doesn't understand all the nuances of Middle Eastern politics is that the movie was often hard to follow.
10/10/08
Even if Body of Lies lacks a huge emotional wallop, it dishes plenty of food for thought.
10/10/08
Given the giga-talent involved -- virtuoso visualist Scott, The Departed's William Monahan adapting Washington Post columnist David Ignatius's novel -- I was hoping for something more substantive than Syriana-meets-Spy Game.
10/10/08
On this basic premise builds a complicated story plied with onion layers of perspective and cunning.
10/10/08
Russell Crowe's portrayal of an overweight, amoral CIA honcho in the Middle East thriller Body of Lies is mesmerizing, chilling, disturbing to the bone and one of the best performances of the year.
10/10/08
Body of Lies is an A-list project with B-game results.
10/10/08
High production value and solid performances lay enough of a spit shine on an otherwise dingy pile of drivel.
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.
More...
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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