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Review by David DiMichele

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Lions for Lambs has been getting mixed reviews for the extreme use of dialogue that director Robert Redford (Ordinary People) decided to employ. It’s impossible for this dialogue to be boring because it has such a powerful message to tell us. People who think they’ll just be watching a “war” movie with explosions and such will be wrong, but for those who appreciate great filmmaking, powerful acting and intelligent dialogue, this one is definitely for you. It shouldn’t be limited in that way though. Everyone should see this film for its importance and lasting quality. The issue and argument of “art vs. entertainment” comes in here. Does entertainment always have to involve secret missions or drug lords? Lions for Lambs is one hell of an exciting movie that is, at the same time, art. Redford goes for human emotion as well as political corruption and what emerges is a movie that has something to say. Having all that “smart” talk is a plus but it also contains some of the most intense and gut-wrenching war scenes that you will see this year.

No one likes this war on terror talk. “Our troops have been there too long”, “our troops aren’t there long enough.” Can President or Senate ever win? Since 9/11 there hasn’t been another attack on the United States, so are the President and Senate in fact doing their jobs? Redford doesn’t really take sides here, but rather he has us choose the side we’d like to join after the film is over.

Lions roam by themselves. Each lion wants to be king of the jungle. Congress men, senators, government officials, and TV station owners make up the lions that guide their puppets (or lambs) which include the troops, journalists, and even the civilian population of the United States. Can the lions cooperate with each other and find a reasonable solution about the war on terror or will the lions rip at each other’s throats and try to find a way all by themselves, so they can get the credit?

Yes, it’s another film about the Iraq war and the terrorism that surrounds it. What is also found, though, is important people and everyday people trying to pursue one another to change their initial way of thinking. The formula is the thing that is different with this film - the way Redford tells it will either make or break the movie. He won me over with his precise and ingenious way of talking about issue that has been all around the neighborhood recently.

Redford uses the weaving technique, telling three stories that all relate to one another. Veteran journalist (Meryl Streep) is privileged enough to have an hour of time alone with Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise). She tries to get answers out of him, badgers him as “the man in the air-conditioned room”, and asks about certain strategies that would help with the war over in the Middle East. It’s her lucky day as he already came up with a strategy that he’s so gung-ho about and which has already been implemented - a plan that should help benefit the US soldiers over in Afghanistan. The plan is to take a higher ground so they can fend off the terrorists making their way through Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. This plan links to two specific soldiers stationed there, Ernest (Michael Pena) and Arian (Derek Luke), one Mexican and the other African-American. Each would love nothing more than to serve the country that has been good to them. But that’s not the only reason they signed up. It also has to do with a professor in California, Stephen Malley, who teaches political science. These two were his most prominent students (we learn in flashback scenes). He told them they should do something special with their lives, but he never thought the Army would be their answer. So a couple years later, the professor finds himself in the same boat with another bright student-turned rebel (Andrew Garfield) who hasn’t been coming to class lately. He has the privilege of an hour with the professor to discuss certain topics and why he hasn’t been coming to class. But what he gets out of this hour is something that will shape the rest of his life.

All of these conversations have us feeling that we are part of them. They’re so refreshing and interesting that we can’t help but to feel the impact of each one. -The acting is what helps this dialogue filled movie. Cruise and Streep are dynamite as they go at each other and Redford is so delicate and sublime as he tries to talk sense into a young man who seems to be lost. When you leave you will feel that the message has won you over as you slowly walk out of the theatre numb.

Film Rating: *** 1/2 out of ****

[ Official Movie Site ]

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