Body of Lies

Play trailer

Body of Lies

R

2008

2h 8m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

209 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

CIA agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) hatches a bold but dangerous plan to capture terrorist Al-Saleem. With the help of Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) who is a master of subterfuge, Ferris creates a fake terrorist organization to prompt Al-Saleem out of hiding. At the same time, Ferris must keep his plan secret from Hani (Mark Strong), the head of Jordanian intelligence, because Ferris will lose his own life if Hani finds out.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Body of Lies relies on the performances of Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio to elevate it beyond the conventional espionage thriller.

Read Critics Reviews

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Jan 30, 2018

It's James Bond via today's headlines, which should, I suppose, at least make it feel very now, but it doesn't. There is nothing in this you haven't seen before, and oodles that you have.

Go to Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 12, 2017

C

Quite frankly, it was a waste of two talented actors.

Go to Full Review

Trevor Johnston

Time Out

Nov 21, 2008

3/6

Perhaps Scott's ever-restless shooting style doesn't quite differentiate between the peaks and troughs of the narrative, yet it's still an engrossing account of the intersection between process and ethics.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 18, 2025

3/4

Better than the vast majority of the post-9/11 terrorist yarns, Body of Lies is both more ambiguous and ambitious than such heavy-handed duds as Rendition and Redacted.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Apr 4, 2024

3/4

Asking bold questions about the consequences of retaliation and its slippery slope, the film neither preaches about nor ignores the current geopolitical nightmare yet manages to be incredibly entertaining.

Go to Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Jan 31, 2021

3.5/5

Avoids making moral judgments or taking sides, preferring to allow the audience to come to their own conclusions.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Jacob W

@RT17896586 18 hrs ago

This is an underrated movie with great performances from Leo D RC and directed by RS. So this spy action thriller could be a powerhouse with that weight behind it. As a movie it’s gripping and compelling but I think that is what both actors bring to the movie. For that it’s good and worth watching. If it was someone else I think it would have bee missed as a movie. The pairing between the two leads I feel is very good and for this alone it’s well worth watching. Sadly they only made this s film as I would have liked to have seen more films with the leads in it.

See more

bruce C

@bruce999 Aug 2, 2026

well thought out drama of spy , trying to find the bad guys. excellent acting, while he lives as a foreigner

See more

Jed I

@RT01296269 Dec 1, 2025

5.0/10 — "Poor"/"Inferior"/"Amateurish"

See more

Nicholas t

@nicktalbert2025 Oct 5, 2025

body of lies a bad movie warner bros i dont like it

See more

Gregory S

@Gregory566 May 10, 2025

Thought it was an excellent movie. Actually thought that Mark Strong stole every scene that he was in. Great watch and poses great questions. Great thing about this movie is that it doesn’t answer the questions for you.

See more

thiago s

@Thiagostone Apr 17, 2025

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, o elenco é bacaninha, mas ninguém ajudou a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e mais relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e mesmo com o Leonardo dicaprio e o Russell crowe o filme não alavancou em nada.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Ridley Scott

Director

Leonardo DiCaprio

Roger Ferris

Russell Crowe

Ed Hoffman

Mark Strong

Hani

Golshifteh Farahani

Aisha

Oscar Isaac

Bassam

The Kingdom

51%

76%

The Kingdom

Watchlist

The American

64%

39%

The American

Watchlist

Death Sentence

20%

60%

Death Sentence

Watchlist

The Fan

42%

35%

The Fan

Watchlist

The Taking of Pelham 123

51%

52%

The Taking of Pelham 123

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Taking of Pelham 123

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

RT on DVD: High School Musical 3 or Midnight Meat Train?

UK Critics Consensus: Does Ridley Scott’s Body Of Lies Ring True? Is Blindness Blinding Or Bland?

Win a Body of Lies poster signed by Ridley Scott, Leo and Russ!

View more photos

Synopsis

CIA agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) hatches a bold but dangerous plan to capture terrorist Al-Saleem. With the help of Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) who is a master of subterfuge, Ferris creates a fake terrorist organization to prompt Al-Saleem out of hiding. At the same time, Ferris must keep his plan secret from Hani (Mark Strong), the head of Jordanian intelligence, because Ferris will lose his own life if Hani finds out.

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Donald De Line
Screenwriter: William Monahan
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: De Line Pictures, Scott Free Productions
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Language Throughout|Torture)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $39.4M
Runtime: 2h 8m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings