JPF Home Page Forums Creative Arts Forums Acting, Theater, Film and TV Forum "Gimmie-A-Clue" Movie Review: LIONS FOR LAMBS/RedfordCruiseStreep

Actor-Director Robert Redford serves up some excellent Military-Political Headscratching-Fare in his new movie, "LIONS FOR LAMBS". The Title's based on a Vietnam-Era Expression, where "Lions" (Highly-Motivated Partiotic Soldiers) get sacrificed by "Lambs" (Incompetent Higher-Ups who order them to needless deaths).

The three Main Characters are Redford (as Professor Steven Malley), Meryl Streep (As Janine Roth, a 57-yr-old Newspaper Reporter for a Wash. DC Editor) and Tom Cruise, (As a Gung-Ho Bush-Republican Senator Jasper Irving, with obvious Presidential Aspirations).

The Movie's overall theme is "Did we learn Anything from the War in Vietnam, as we spend yet-another-year bogged-down in Iraq..& Especially in Afghanistan."

Tom Cruise well-plays The Senator "With-a-Plan".. (We'll use smaller-than-usual Units like "bait"..in remote Forward Areas..much like we tried, not-too-successfully..in the '60's War.) We'll also get psyched-up (as the victories come in), to continue The War On Terror for another Decade..or more..if need be, for the eventual "Victory at Any Cost".

This "Plan" he entrusts in "an Exclusive Story" to Merle Streep's Janine Roth. Feeling she's being used, much like the press WAS back in the 60's, she returns back to her Editor determined NOT to write the Story, albeit an "Exclusive". Her Editor reminds her she's not easily re-employable at Her Age..& hintingly-insists she write the story.

Interlaced through this is Redford's Professorial-Chat with a Student in his office (Andrew Garfield as Todd Hayes). {It's nicely written-&-acted, as a Statement of How Generations Change & View the Same Events thru Different Eyes.} The Student WAS originally very-motivated & interested in Political Science, but rapidly lost interest & class attendance & grades began plummeting. He remains well-informed, yet well-portrays a "Why should I CARE to Get-Involved" viewpoint on politics and military service.

Redford's reply is in-essence "We're in the stage where it's like The End of The Roman Empire." He's previously-watched two of his MORE-Motivated, tho Less-Stellar-than Hayes as Students, "Take a Stand" and (Against his better-judgement) join the military to make a difference in this world. (They'd also return to debt-free Higher Education..so their decision is both Patriotic and Practical.)

While the Professor's afraid they were mis-guided, he admires their Taking an Active Stand, UN-Like the Student before him who's content to NOT make any difference..OR even show up in class beyond making-"C"s to show his indifference.

MEANWHILE, the Two "Motivated" Students (Michael Pena as Rodriguez, & Derek Luke as Arian Finch) have ended up in Afghanistan, part of a Special Forces Unit being inserted in a remote mountain pass, but due to faulty-intelligence, end up alone, wounded, and cut off from their comrades. One's badly-wounded, the other stuck in a snowdrift. Lives on-the-line, as you watch the satellite (Or perhaps it's a Predator Drone Aircraft) sending back grainy-but-"Live"-aerial-data back to the "Lambs" keeping these 2 brave "Lions" alive with repeated airstrikes to keep the Taliban at-bay.

By the Movie's End, I felt a lot like Meryl Streep's Reporter: I'd absorbed a BEVY of facts supplied by Redford, & now I reflect on the Movie's Slogan: "If you don't STAND for Something, You might FALL for Anything."

My Questions Back at Redford would be simply these: (Bearing in mind it's NOT really a Black-&-White, Cut-&-Dried World out there..never HAS been. SORRY It's "An Unpopular War" and has been running Longer-than-Expected.) SO, are we SUPPOSED to get "Hawks" to replace the "Lambs" so we can finish The War and Our Adversaries Off? (What if the Hawks LIKE Nukes and HATE Iran?)

Lastly, ARE we supposed to call the war off BECAUSE we made mistakes in the Vietnam Showdown? The latter seems to be Redford's Conclusion, even though it flies in the face of his Logic that these are like "The Last Days of the Roman Empire".


Thus I'd give this Much-Ballyhooed Movie a 6-outta-10 if you're a Republican, and an 8-outta-10 if you're a Democrat (Or Peacenik).
It's all VERY Thought-Provoking, even if the Movie's "Message" seems to break pretty-cleanly along the current Democratic Party Line. (Extra-Credit IS due "The Professor" for such a Lovely Heart-to-Heart with Today's College Crowd!)


JMO...Keep-or-Sweep!
Big Hugs,
Stan

I've heard from the left and right that this is a snooze fest.

I doubt they've even covered the cost of promotion on this with ticket sales.. you have to work hard to have 3 A+ list actors and still barely measure on the richter scale on opening day.

Brian

It was "Worth The Loot" just to watch Redford play that Professor & expound on "How Kids have Changed This Generation-Around".

But I doubt this Flick'll change any minds or (Apparently Didn't) Generate Much Discussion.

So..The Sundance Kid Sets in Da West...

It Happens.

Thanks for the Kind Visit, & Yeah, maybe I shoulda whacked a Point or Two off the "Ratings"..(But the Actors PERFORMANCES were GREAT..& The Interwoven Scenes of the 2 Soldiers was VERY Dramatic..& Sad.) But yeah, Politicizing in the Guise of Entertainment does get cloying.

Thanks for the Update, Amigo!
Best Wishes & a Big Guy-Hug,
Stan