Lions For Lambs (2007)
WMB Rating:
(1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5) 
Loading ...
Honestly, I was somewhat dreading going into Lions For Lambs. From all the buzz I read and heard, I was expecting a wholesale administration-bashing political commentary from the Hollywood contingent on the war in Iraq.
I was wrong. Well, sort of.
The expected bashing of the current policies which has led us to the sorry state we are in is there, but fortunately, it isn't the overriding theme of the picture. And because of that, I actually found myself engrossed by the film.
Is there a particularly complex story line? No. Lots of hardcore war movie action? Again, no. What you have here is a movie that (hopefully) will make you think, and think hard.
There are three interconnected stories going on here, the first involves Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise) who has invited reporter Janine Roth (Meryl Streep) into his office to "announce" a new strategy in fighting the war on terror.
The second involves two soldiers, Finch (Derek Luke) and Rodriguez (Michael Pena) who find themselves severely injured and stranded on an Afghan mountainside after falling from their Chinook. OK, well, you have to sort of accept that they'd actually survive that... but that really doesn't matter. They're part of the first mission in this "new" strategic initiative.
The third, and probably the most interesting plot line of the picture involves a Political Science professor, Malley (Robert Redford) meeting with one of his students, Todd Hayes (Andrew Garfield.) In my opinion, *this* section of the film is what its all about. We also find a connection between Finch and Rodriguez to Dr. Malley.
Frankly, most of the picture is just talking heads. Normally, this would make for a rather dull and uninteresting 100 minutes of screen time. Not so. It's what they are saying here that grabs your attention and actually makes you think.
You see, the picture basically blames the ills of America in general, and as it relates to the war, on our own increasing apathy. Basically, we don't give a shit anymore. And you know what? They're absolutely right.
We don't learn from our past mistakes, as Roth so helpfully points out to Irving. The whole "smaller groups" and "hearts and minds" thing was done before, and it didn't exactly work out so well.
We don't understand what it means to have a stake in anything important. Hayes attitude towards his class, and life in general illustrates that. Malley's counter-arguments to him are just brilliant, and quite insightful.
Then there are our two stranded men in uniform. They signed up after Malley's trying to dissuade them. They are the ones who have the ultimate stake in things.
Sure at times things get a little preachy. Rodriguez and Finch's classroom presentation on "engagement at home" was the prime example. It somehow felt out of place, right up until they slapped their induction notices on the projector.
Basically there is no set beginning, middle, and end to the story. There isn't really a "story" to speak of. This is a philosophical journey, and by the end of it you should be thinking about everything put in front of you. I know I was.
Lions For Lambs has its weak moments, but overall I found it involving on an intellectual level you don't get from the traditional war movie.
Technorati Tags: lions for lambs, dvd, 2007, iraq, policy, politics, tom cruise, meryl streep, robert redford, andrew garfield, michael pena, derek luke
 |
Lions For Lambs (Widescreen Edition) List Price: Sale Price: $2.17 You save: $12.81 (86%)  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days  |
Description
An idealistic professor (Redford), a charismatic U.S. Senator (Cruise) and a probing TV journalist (Streep) have opposing viewpoints about the actions of our nation and the attitudes of its citizens. But the human consequences of war become chillingly clear for two of the professor's former students, who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines, fighting for freedom... and their very lives.
The considerable authority of Robert Redford pulls some heavyweight talent into Lions for Lambs, a rare Hollywood foray into flat-out political filmmaking. Three dramas, all connected, play out simultaneously during the same hour: On a mountainside in Afghanistan, two U.S. soldiers (Michael Pena and Derek Luke) find themselves stranded during a new military surge; on Capitol Hill, a Republican senator (Tom Cruise) tries to sell the new strategy to a seasoned reporter (Meryl Streep); and in California, a professor (Redford) tries to light the fire of commitment in an increasingly apathetic college student (Andrew Garfield). Director Redford cuts back and forth amongst these arenas, a gambit which thankfully obscures how weak the one non-talkfest (the Afghanistan segment) really is. You can tell Redford and screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan put their juice in the debate between Cruise and Streep, which summarizes Right and Left views on the Middle Eastern wars, and does so reasonably lucidly--although there is little here that would surprise anyone who has looked into the subject. The college section suggests Redford's belief that there are lots of people, distracted by tabloid culture and self-centeredness, who haven't looked into the subject. So he lectures us about it, sounding suspiciously like an old geezer remembering the good old days. If this film had been released in 2004, it might at least have bucked majority opinion, but coming out in fall of 2007, it already felt like old news. --Robert Horton
DVD Information
Binding: DVDAspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Manufacturer: United Artists
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- Tom Cruise
- Meryl Streep
- Robert Redford
- Michael Peña
- Andrew Garfield
Reviews
Related posts:
