For all the enthralling visuals and action, the film feels garbled.
Comment
11/21/08
Rate this Movie 
Body of Lies (2008)
51
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
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.
Theatrical Release:Oct 10, 2008 Wide
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
Get This Movie
Reviews for Body of Lies
Visually the film is so undistinguished it may be time for the maker of Blade Runner to be subjected to that film’s Voigt-Kampff test, to determine whether the current owner of the name “Ridley Scott” is real or a replicant.
11/21/08
But it's something of a penance to sit through, a token handwringing over American dirty tricks that's just another opportunity for Scott and co to blow stuff up.
11/21/08
Body of Lies can’t quite make up its mind whether to be an all-out thriller or a savvy political drama with something relevant to say about Muslim fundamentalism and the American response to it.
11/21/08
While this film's themes seem to address issues of terrorism and CIA meddling, and the powerful cast suggests we're in Important Movie territory, the result is essentially just a routine spy thriller: entertaining but forgettable.
11/21/08
Over-directed, frequently dull and ultimately disappointing thriller that wastes the talents of its two leads and strands them with a tedious script that somehow manages to be both confusing and overly simplistic.
11/20/08
Ridley Scott does not reflect on causes, only on operations. Body Of Lies may engage the warrior techno-geeks, but its amorality is uninvolving.
11/20/08
Body of Lies proves as generic as its title.
11/12/08
Good solid far-fetched multiplex action-adventure fare in the Bondian mode, with awe-inspiring technology and just enough moral philosophizing laced through it to give the mind a little something to chew on.
11/10/08
Just because it's really dense and layered doesn’t mean it’s good.
11/10/08
A complicated movie about the war on terror with two terrific performances and a terrific director.
11/10/08
Perfectly workmanlike, unimpeachably prestige-y, achingly contemporary, and a near-complete failure as revelation
11/09/08
Characters act and react with inexplicable intents and the story evolves in a manner that defies linear or random templates and certainly anything that might keep us engaged emotionally or psychologically.
10/29/08
Thanks to its high-talent pro lineup, Body of Lies passes the time well, even if it doesn't necessarily enrich it.
10/29/08
Like Alec Baldwin, Russell Crowe is way more fun to watch when he's fat.
10/29/08
A timely game of cat and mouse that benefits from the performances by its two leads.
10/28/08
Body of Lies grants Ferris the usual moral rightness -- even as he's committing questionable acts, he means well.
10/27/08
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.
10/25/08
Ridley Scott delivers an involving if sometimes meandering spy thriller and gets in some choice digs about the paralyzed state of American intelligence in the post-9/11 age.
10/24/08
'Body of Lies' is an adults-only story about espionage and the politics of war.
10/23/08
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. 
More...
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...
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
History of Disney Animation
MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.
90 Years of Screen Vampires
TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.
Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones
Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.
Recent Headlines as TV Movies
AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.
The Death of Original Thought
Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds