Lions For Lambs DVD Review

I’m not politically inclined, so I’ll avoid discussing the political aspects of the film until the end of this review. It is nearly impossible to discuss Lions for Lambs without discussing politics. According to the filmmakers, that is the point of the film. They wanted it to be a starting point for discussions, not propaganda. Whether they succeeded at this is in question.

Lions for Lambs takes place in real time, following three stories that are connected, though never physically. The first story is about a journalist, Janine Roth (played by Meryl Streep), who gets a one on one interview with Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise). In their one hour exclusive, Irving explains a new offensive initiative being put in place as they speak. This initiative is the second story, focusing on two friends who volunteered to join the Army. Their helicopter is ambushed and the two are left on a snowy Afghanistan mountain, with Taliban troops approaching in the darkness. The two friends were former students of Professor Stephen Malley (Robert Redford), who is currently trying to raise a new student, Todd Hayes, to his potential as an involved and contributing citizen. This third story focuses on the apathy of American youth, and possibly the nation as a whole.

The decision to present the film in real time adds to the suspense. Without the heightened tension, the intercut between all three stories would cause the film to drag. However, once the first hour has past, the film does seem to limp towards the finish line. The script, written by up and comer Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom), is beautifully written. It is clear that he researched the war, but sometimes the dialogue presents too much info in the proper vernacular, leaving the general populace behind.

Redford’s performance, as both a director and actor, impressed me. His role as a college professor may seem unrealistic to some, but it is the points that his character makes that are important. Todd Hayes (played by Andrew Garfield) is too eloquent and knowledgeable for a disenfranchised frat boy. But again, the conversation and debate these two characters have are what is important, not necessarily their realism.

Who did disappoint me were Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise. Their performances lacked energy and that “it” factor that has made those two stars. It wasn’t that they were bad, I just expected better. However, I don’t think even a great performance could have helped their sequences. Out of all three stories, the media/politics plot line was the most incendiary.

As a film meant to entertain, Lions for Lambs has merit. The editing involves spot on match cuts. Also, the sound editing speeds up the pace in conversations, by having actors lines overlap and few silences. The flashback, though ruining the consistent real time, adds to the education/politics storyline. In fact, this was the strongest story with an unbiased message. Professor Malley’s story could have worked as a film all on its own. Of course, labeling his university as “A California University” seems awkward and lazy.

Then there are the politics. The majority of the film discusses apathy. Audiences will probably lose this message, though it is an important one, due to being offended by Senator Irving’s character. The scenes between Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise are clearly anti-war and most likely to be viewed as propaganda. As I said before, if the film had cut these sequences out, I think it would have been better received.

The special features on Lions for Lambs consists of director commentary by Robert Redford, “the Making of Lions for Lambs”, “Script to Screen”, a look back at United Artists legacy, along with the teaser trailer and theatrical trailer for Lions for Lambs. The video quality on the majority of these special features was appalling and made it difficult to try and watch. The special features also have previews for Pathology, Death at a Funeral, Feast of Love, Darjeeling Limited, and the television network FX.

Overall, the film loses much of its potency due to its release dates. Films discussing current events are rarely well received. If released in a few more years, it might have a much better reception. There’s nothing groundbreaking about the film and any memorable messages it has are lost on those looking to find fault with the film.