57
Metascore
37 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliBody of Lies neither panders nor condescends. It involves current events and has a political viewpoint, but it overplays neither.
- 80Village VoiceVillage VoiceIts generic attributes (and title) notwithstanding, Scott's film may be the sharpest of all the post-9/11 thrillers--and also the most purely entertaining--in the way it maps the vectors and currents of the modern intelligence-gathering game without losing us in its dense narrative thicket.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertBody 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.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversThe result is commendably non-West-centric, but no less sentimentally conceived.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttIt 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.
- 70The New YorkerDavid DenbyThe New YorkerDavid DenbyThe movie is smart and tightly drawn; it has a throat-gripping urgency and some serious insights, and Scott has a greater command of space and a more explicit way with violence than most thriller directors.
- 63Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsThe most interesting thing about this slick but frustrating picture is the way it puts Crowe’s Hoffman at the center of our mixed feelings.
- 60New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinThe film has one indelible asset: Mark Strong, who plays the Jordanian spymaster Hani. He's sleek and lounge-lizard sharp like a young Andy Garcia, and he could be bigger than Garcia. The Jordanian holds all the cards, and opposite two superstars, Strong is the only actor who holds the camera.
- 50VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyA mostly formulaic approach that becomes more disappointing as the yarn unwinds.
- 33Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMost of this just seems, you know, so three years ago, so "Bourne" again.