2008 Woodie Awards
'Lions for Lambs' reviewed
A long-winded discussion of war
by Adam Asher
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: Mosaic
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Andell Entertainment
Rating: 2 1/2 stars (out of 4)
Robert Redford's latest film, "Lions for Lambs," is not an average war movie. The story has all of the key elements - a journalist questioning her job as a purveyor of truth, a senator making unpopular decisions that could worsen a bloody war and two young infantrymen in danger of being captured by the Taliban.
However, there is very little action or adventure. Redford is content leaving out the usual action-packed war scenes and begging questions of his viewers. At the heart of the film lies a much larger issue than just the question of who should be killing who.
The film is cut into three scenes that intertwine and all take place within an hour. In the first, newcomer Andrew Garfield makes a strong presence as Todd, a Southern California college student who has a meeting with his political science professor (Robert Redford) about his classroom attendance. The dialogue between the two starts there and escalates into talk of how Todd's decisions as a young man in a powerful country at war will affect his life and could ultimately affect the country.
Meanwhile, a high profile senator (Tom Cruise) meets with a journalist (Meryl Streep) to talk about a new military strategy involving Afghanistan. Finally, two soldiers, both of whom are former students of Redford's and enlisted after being inspired by his passion in the classroom, find themselves stranded on a mountaintop in Afghanistan while executing the senator's plan.
The film has little coherent plot. Instead, the story serves as three intelligent discussions about war - one from the perspective of the soldiers affected by decisions in Washington, one from the perspective of those making the decisions and one from two average, relatively intelligent Americans (Redford and Garfield) discussing patriotism.
The transitions from scene to scene are a bit rough given the vastly different nature of each group of characters. However, the philosophical and political dialogue from each perspective is engaging enough to push viewers past a bombardment of political debate, as their performances fit in well with the veteran cast.
The action, though lacking in volume, is intense. Two best friends face death as they question patriotism and their duty to defend it. Among an all-star cast, the young actors are clearly up to the task of playing heavy parts.
Although it's a bit dialogue-heavy, "Lions for Lambs" is sure to captivate audiences with its deep thought and poignant questions in addition to powerhouse performances by Redford and company.
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