Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Devastating, worthwhile historical docu; violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Bodyguard of Lies
What's the Story?
Combining archive footage, private recordings, and interviews with top former military commanders, soldiers, and an investigative journalist, BODYGUARD OF LIES analyzes how the US government hid the truth about its failures in Afghanistan from the American people for decades. Using as a launching point the so-called Afghanistan Papers, files containing interviews with more than 400 people directly involved in the conflict and first published in The Washington Post, the film reveals how US officials spun a web of deception, spent trillions of dollars, allowed for massive corruption on the ground, and ultimately left Afghanistan arguably worse off—even though they knew all along the war was unwinnable and their objectives were unclear.
Is It Any Good?
This devastating analysis of all the ways government and military officials lied to the American people reveals deep layers of corruption, failure, and deceit in the US's 20-year war in Afghanistan. The title Bodyguard of Lies refers to a quote from Winston Churchill suggesting that in wartime, lies help protect the truth. Unfortunately, while accurate, this sophisticated title might be too nuanced to draw audiences to this necessary film, which should be essential viewing for all American citizens.
Director Krauss has done an impressive job of securing key insider eyewitnesses and piecing their testimonies together with archive footage. The yearly tally of body counts and mind-boggling expenditure in this astronomically expensive, deadly, and ultimately futile endeavor are worth the watch alone. The film effectively builds its case about the strategic quagmire and systemic cover-up carried out, and the corruption described on all sides is scandalous. It's also shattering to hear soldiers and their families question whether it was all in vain. The film ends with individuals attempting to right past wrongs—and, crucially, a call for the rest of us not to allow for the same mistakes again.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the backgrounds of the various people interviewed for Bodyguard of Lies. Did these people have first-hand knowledge of the war? Did they provide a variety of perspectives? Whose perspective is missing in the film?
How do you think a director goes about convincing sources to speak in a film like this, or finding and selecting the footage to include? How long do you imagine the process takes? Where can you get more information?
What parallels can be drawn between US government and military misrepresentations of facts on the ground in the Vietnam War and the war in Afghanistan? Where can you go for more historical context?
What fictional films about the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan have you watched, and how do they compare to the narrative constructed in this documentary? Explain.
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : September 23, 2025
- Director : Dan Krauss
- Studio : Paramount+
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : History ( War: Other )
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language and some disturbing image
- Last updated : September 9, 2025
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