Ridley Scott's 2008 espionage thriller Body of Lies has found a new home on Apple TV, and viewers are taking notice. The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, is currently climbing the streaming charts, according to FlixPatrol. It's a resurgence for a movie that, upon release, was overshadowed by bigger awards contenders and didn't quite catch fire at the box office.
Set against the backdrop of Middle East politics, Body of Lies follows a CIA operative (DiCaprio) embedded in Jordan as he hunts a terrorist leader. Back in Virginia, his handler (Crowe) pulls the strings from afar, often clashing with his field agent over tactics and trust. The film also features Mark Strong as the head of Jordanian intelligence and Golshifteh Farahani as DiCaprio's love interest. It was an early major role for Oscar Isaac, who would later reunite with Scott on Robin Hood.
At the time of its release, the movie arrived amid a wave of post-9/11 paranoia and surveillance-state dramas. It predated similar films like Green Zone, The Hurt Locker, and Zero Dark Thirty, and shared theaters with The Dark Knight, another film grappling with questions of surveillance and security. But unlike Scott and Crowe's Oscar-winning Gladiator or their acclaimed crime epic American Gangster, Body of Lies underperformed, grossing around $120 million worldwide against a reported $70 million budget. Reviews were mixed, and it currently holds a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Now, however, the film is getting a second life on Apple TV. It's among the most popular movies on the domestic Apple TV chart, which is currently topped by another Crowe two-hander: The Nice Guys. That film, a 1970s-set crime comedy with Ryan Gosling, has also seen a streaming resurgence. Crowe's latest release, the Western drama The Weight, is yet another two-hander, proving the actor has a knack for playing off a single co-star.
DiCaprio, meanwhile, was last seen in One Battle After Another and is preparing for Michael Mann's long-awaited Heat 2. For those looking to revisit a tense, star-powered spy thriller, Body of Lies is now available to stream on Apple TV. If you're in the mood for more espionage action, check out our list of spy thrillers to binge or dive into psychological thriller shows that keep you on edge. And for another Apple TV hit, see why Prisoners is captivating audiences.
