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Amazon.co.uk Review
The considerable authority of Robert Redford pulls some heavyweight talent into Lions for Lambs, a rare Hollywood foray into flat-out political filmmaking. Three dramas, all connected, play out simultaneously during the same hour: On a mountainside in Afghanistan, two U.S. soldiers (Michael Pena and Derek Luke) find themselves stranded during a new military surge; on Capitol Hill, a Republican senator (Tom Cruise) tries to sell the new strategy to a seasoned reporter (Meryl Streep); and in California, a professor (Redford) tries to light the fire of commitment in an increasingly apathetic college student (Andrew Garfield).
Director Redford cuts back and forth amongst these arenas, a gambit which thankfully obscures how weak the one non-talkfest (the Afghanistan segment) really is. You can tell Redford and screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan put their juice in the debate between Cruise and Streep, which summarizes Right and Left views on the Middle Eastern wars, and does so reasonably lucidly--although there is little here that would surprise anyone who has looked into the subject. The college section suggests Redford's belief that there are lots of people, distracted by tabloid culture and self-centeredness, who haven't looked into the subject. So he lectures us about it, sounding suspiciously like an old geezer remembering the good old days. If this film had been released in 2004, it might at least have bucked majority opinion, but coming out in the autumn of 2007, it already felt like old news. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
You know those movies that you watch, and find so compelling you say to people `you HAVE to see this movie...'? Well, this movie aims for this, but alas merely reaches the heights of `Yeah, it's worth watching...'.
The film revolves around 3 storylines, essentially taking place simultaneously, and in real time, but this structure is not religiously adhered to as there are also some flashbacks. In Washington, a senior Senator rumoured to be a potential Presidential candidate, invites a respected journalist from a major TV news network, to give her an exclusive on the latest tactics being used in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, that push is shown through the eyes of two soldiers in the Special Forces, as the mission goes wrong and they are stuck behind enemy lines. The final strand is in a University, as the professor Robert Redford talks to a student full of potential but with more than enough cynicism and apathy to go with it. He shares his experience with the story of the two Special Forces soldiers, who were students of his and left to `go make a difference'.
It's a movie brimming with talent to be sure, with Robert Redford directing and Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep acting their socks off.. Cruise does give a compellingly convincing portrayal of a senior politician, convinced of his moral high ground but using it to further his career as much or if not more than doing the right thing. Streep also gives a performance which at times seems just a little too self consciously rounded, when something stripped down to basics would have done just as well. Her tics and mannerisms would have been better served in a movie which focused on her character. Redford is.. well, simply Redford.
The script, when we hear the characters debating with each other (which is most of the movie - don't go expecting an action flick whatever you do..) is intelligent and gets across its message clearly enough. Engagement is needed - apathy is a recipe for disaster, whether it be apathy on an individuals part or on the part of the media. Clumsy parallels to Vietnam are made. However, we don't have time to warm to any of the characters, neither are arcs to the characters developed, such that the movie ultimately feels like a lecture - something that a documentary could have done as well - or even better, using actual facts instead of drama.
Worth watching for some good performances and literate script, but should have been much more. How did such interesting talent combine to make such a mediocre product - is making a statement on war so much at odds with good film-making these days?
The film revolves around 3 storylines, essentially taking place simultaneously, and in real time, but this structure is not religiously adhered to as there are also some flashbacks. In Washington, a senior Senator rumoured to be a potential Presidential candidate, invites a respected journalist from a major TV news network, to give her an exclusive on the latest tactics being used in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, that push is shown through the eyes of two soldiers in the Special Forces, as the mission goes wrong and they are stuck behind enemy lines. The final strand is in a University, as the professor Robert Redford talks to a student full of potential but with more than enough cynicism and apathy to go with it. He shares his experience with the story of the two Special Forces soldiers, who were students of his and left to `go make a difference'.
It's a movie brimming with talent to be sure, with Robert Redford directing and Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep acting their socks off.. Cruise does give a compellingly convincing portrayal of a senior politician, convinced of his moral high ground but using it to further his career as much or if not more than doing the right thing. Streep also gives a performance which at times seems just a little too self consciously rounded, when something stripped down to basics would have done just as well. Her tics and mannerisms would have been better served in a movie which focused on her character. Redford is.. well, simply Redford.
The script, when we hear the characters debating with each other (which is most of the movie - don't go expecting an action flick whatever you do..) is intelligent and gets across its message clearly enough. Engagement is needed - apathy is a recipe for disaster, whether it be apathy on an individuals part or on the part of the media. Clumsy parallels to Vietnam are made. However, we don't have time to warm to any of the characters, neither are arcs to the characters developed, such that the movie ultimately feels like a lecture - something that a documentary could have done as well - or even better, using actual facts instead of drama.
Worth watching for some good performances and literate script, but should have been much more. How did such interesting talent combine to make such a mediocre product - is making a statement on war so much at odds with good film-making these days?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
You get out of the film what you put into it.
It's the sort of film you benefit from watching alone when you can concentrate on the storyline- which is 3 stories that come together-as you need to pick up the detail in order for the meaning of the film to be as powerful as it can be.
I found the scenes with Redford as a lecturer/tutor fascinating and challenging.
It's the sort of film you benefit from watching alone when you can concentrate on the storyline- which is 3 stories that come together-as you need to pick up the detail in order for the meaning of the film to be as powerful as it can be.
I found the scenes with Redford as a lecturer/tutor fascinating and challenging.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It is a bit ironic that a film attacking propaganda should be propaganda itself.
It is an interesting view of the "liberal" side of American politics, that the belief in American omnipotence is unwavering, irrespective of left or right.
The film attacks the war on terror as a waste of human life rather than attacking the basic precepts on what it is based. 9/11 was a convenient excuse for America to get itself into the Middle East and fear is what made people believe it was ok. You would think that they would have realised that you can't win Guerilla wars unless you are prepared to shed the same level of blood as your opposition.
Perhaps the best message of the film comes from Redford's talks with his promising (God help us) student. Daring to attack the youth for their lack of ambition (apart from monetary), moral conscience and ability to realise that they are doing exactly what the establishment want, i.e to be disinterested, self-absorbed and thus no threat to governments, caught up in the endless debt-circle of dis-empowerment.
It is an interesting view of the "liberal" side of American politics, that the belief in American omnipotence is unwavering, irrespective of left or right.
The film attacks the war on terror as a waste of human life rather than attacking the basic precepts on what it is based. 9/11 was a convenient excuse for America to get itself into the Middle East and fear is what made people believe it was ok. You would think that they would have realised that you can't win Guerilla wars unless you are prepared to shed the same level of blood as your opposition.
Perhaps the best message of the film comes from Redford's talks with his promising (God help us) student. Daring to attack the youth for their lack of ambition (apart from monetary), moral conscience and ability to realise that they are doing exactly what the establishment want, i.e to be disinterested, self-absorbed and thus no threat to governments, caught up in the endless debt-circle of dis-empowerment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Lions for Lambs
I am basically war film fan but there was not much war content in this film.Too much of it was boring pseudo-political discussion about the rights and wrongs of war. Read more
Published 24 days ago by John Williams
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Like others, I got to the end of this movie wondering what it had all been about. A Senator promoting the latest strategy for success in Afghanistan. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Womble
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Well, I remember a poem, « Arithmetic on the frontier» that I think is very opportune here. It was written by famous author Rudyard Kipling, and contains two stanza:... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Carlos Vazquez Quintana
DVD
TOM CRUISE FANS JUST ADD IT TO THE COLLECTION IT'S A GOOD MOVIE TO WATCH
Published 21 months ago by VALENTINO
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Perhaps being a little unfair with 2*.
There are 3 strands to the film all of which are interesting to watch mainly because each is acted and produced extremely well. Read more
There are 3 strands to the film all of which are interesting to watch mainly because each is acted and produced extremely well. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Movieman
Bit of a statement film, but ok...
Not a show-stopper, but some powerful acting in places - just wish the story was better rather than essentially being a political statement about the war.
Published on 29 May 2010 by Mark Hughes
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Knew nothing about this film and found it 'thought provoking'. It took about 15 minutes to understand the characters and the roles they were playing - all done brilliantly. Read more
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liberal dose of simplicity
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