Lions For Lambs
Lions for Lambs is a thought –provoking social commentary on the US government’s policy in Afghanistan. It depicts two soldiers Derek Luke and Michael Pena in Afghanistan, a senator played by Tom Cruise relating a new war strategy in Afghanistan to a journalist, Meryl Streep and an interaction between a professor, Robert Redford and his student Andrew Garfield. The film tries to explore these three situations as the professor tries to inspire his student by relating that the two soldiers are his former students and that he had a role to play in their enlistment.
Rating: 3/5
Tom Cruise in Lions for Lambs
Derek Luke and Michael Pena portray the role of two college students, high on patriotism, inspired by their professor Robert Redford. The movie opens with a heated class discussion initiated by the two on the different aspects of patriotism. They argue that there should be no eleventh grade and that youngsters should join the American war effort in large numbers. Both are driven by ideals of sacrifice and finally enlist in the army to serve in Afghanistan. When this happens, Redford is both proud and distressed.
Meryl Streep in Lions for Lambs
Simultaneously there is a breaking story on air between an upcoming senator Tom Cruise and a senior journalist, Meryl Streep. She aims to learn from the senator, about a new strategy for war in Afghanistan that will have implications on the lives of the two young soldiers, all of course in the name of patriotism. The interview between the two is a match between the journalist’s innocence and the senator’s jingoistic patriotism that makes you want to trust the Government and its policies in Afghanistan.
Cut to Redford with his indifferent student Andrew Garfield. Redford tries hard to jar his student’s sensibilities, as he realizes that present day students just don’t care enough for what goes on beyond their daily lives. He knows it’s his mission to teach future generations about values and ideals, but is fearful that none will stop to pause and listen. This interaction ends abruptly with Garfield displaying some emotion towards the end.
Robert Redford in Lions for Lambs
The film has a stellar star cast that delivers great performances. Tom Cruise is impressive as the senator and delivers an intense performance. The dialogues are a bit long, but manage to convey the contemporary thoughts cutting regarding American presence in Afghanistan, across the political spectrum of America. They are interesting as they form the thread that links the three different situations together. The film tries had to convey a message or to take a stand, but fails to achieve this objective. This is not the director’s fault, given the complex nature of the problem, but overall Lions for Lambs is refreshingly candid and worth a watch.
Rating: 3/5
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