Body of Lies (film)
Body of Lies is a 2008 American action thriller directed by Ridley Scott, with a screenplay by William Monahan based on the 2007 novel Penetration by David Ignatius. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as CIA officer Roger Ferris, Russell Crowe as his boss Ed Hoffman, Golshifteh Farahani as Aisha, and Mark Strong as Hani Salaam, the head of Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate.
Set in the Middle East, the film follows Ferris and Salaam as they try to capture Al-Saleem, a dangerous terrorist. Hoffman, working from Langley, wants quick results, while Ferris operates on the ground with local agents. To lure Al-Saleem out, Ferris uses bold, deceptive plans that spark a dangerous chain of events, including a staged attack and a kidnapping. Aisha becomes involved, and a web of lies leads to torture and pursuit across borders. In the end, Salaam helps Ferris survive and they capture Al-Saleem. It’s revealed that Aisha’s kidnapping and other events were part of a plan to trap Al-Saleem. Ferris then quits the CIA and hopes to see Aisha again.
Production notes: Filming took place mainly in the United States and Morocco after Dubai blocked filming due to political concerns. The film had a budget of about $67.5–70 million and was released by Warner Bros. on October 10, 2008. The score was composed by Marc Streitenfeld, and the film uses drones to show the CIA perspective.
Reception and box office: Body of Lies received mixed reviews. Critics praised Ridley Scott’s direction and the performances of DiCaprio and Crowe, but some felt the plot relied too much on familiar spy-thriller tropes. It grossed about $118 million worldwide (roughly $39 million in North America) on a budget of about $67–70 million.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 02:58 (CET).