Body of LiesMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Body of Lies."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 57 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The result is commendably non-West-centric, but no less sentimentally conceived. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger 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

  • 70
    Washington Post | Ann 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
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk 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
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth 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

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia 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

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Lacks, a story that makes it feel personal. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    As it is, the movie is a hodgepodge of borrowings and half-cooked ideas, flung together into a feverishly edited jet-setting exercise in purposeless intensity. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    A mostly formulaic approach that becomes more disappointing as the yarn unwinds. Read full review

  • 33
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Most of this just seems, you know, so three years ago, so "Bourne" again. Read full review

View more reviews for Body of Lies on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Violent spy thriller is for adults only.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this gripping-though-inconsistent spy/terrorism thriller is quite violent -- almost tenaciously so. There's torture, gunfights, and explosions, as well as a fair number of close-ups of bloody injuries and corpses. People are sacrificed regardless of their loyalties, or even their actual involvement in terror activities. There's also some smoking and drinking and plenty of swearing (including "f--k"), though no real sexual content of note.
  • Families can talk about the ongoing war on terror. How does this movie confirm or defy your expectations of what secret agents do? How accurate do you think it is? What messages is the movie trying to convey about espionage and terrorism? Do you think it has a particular agenda? What makes this different from other thrillers? Families can also discuss Ferris and Hoffman's relationship. How would you characterize it? Knowing all he's done, does Ferris ever get pangs of guilt? What does that say about his character?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The lead characters don't know who to trust -- even among those who work at the same company they do. They kill others, including innocents, all in the name of getting ahead. Roger Ferris shows warmth toward a kind doctor, which triggers an epiphany of sorts.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Agents whip a naked man in a torture cellar. Lot of explosions, most of which claim lives. Guns are drawn and shot; they're also pointed at people's heads. A man throws an object at a wall. Lots of double-crossing, some beatings, and much coercion. A character is shown using his bare hands to pick at bullet shrapnel lodged in his arm.
  • sex false1 Sex: Some mild flirting; one mention of a man needing to "bang" his wife.
  • language false4 Language: Frequent use of everything from "s--t" and "p---y" to "f--k."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Hood ornaments for Mercedes Benz; logos for Hewlett-Packard and BBC World News; bottles of Coke are prominently displayed in a few scenes.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Lots of social smoking and drinking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

...metaphor for post 9/11 life during wartime Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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