Redford shows his directing strength in ‘Lions for Lambs’
By James Allen
Staff Writer
Politics, war, mistrust and death all are involved. I am not talking about the war on terror. I am talking about a movie about a hypothetical war on terror. Robert Redford’s “Lions for Lambs” is a film covering three different story lines that are all vaguely interconnected. America faces a new “Axis of Evil” that is Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. With the development of nuclear arms in Afghanistan and the alliance of the Sunnis and Shiites, the U.S. has much to worry about.
However, this is all speculation in the film.
The movie shows how a senator exploits the truth and deceives the public in order to serve his own political victory.
The movie’s first storyline involves Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise of “The Last Samurai” and “Minority Report”) and journalist Janine Roth (Meryl Streep of “Prime” and “A Prairie Home Companion”).
Irving is a smug young senator who has clear ambitions for the White House. He is developing an operation, along with the armed forces, that will “win the war on terror and win the hearts and minds of the people.”
Cruise’s acting was disappointing. It was almost as if the actor himself were being interviewed on the street. In the film, he is over-confident and covered with a see-through smile. He was only playing himself so he did not necessarily need to step far out of his acting ability.
The second storyline is between army rangers Ernest Rodriguez (Michael Peña of “Shooter” and “World Trade Center”) and Arian Finch (Derek Luke of “Friday Night Lights” and “Glory Road”).
Ernest and Arian are stranded after falling out of a helicopter in the mountains of Afghanistan.
The two actors do a terrific job of playing both college buddies and brothers-in-arms. The on-screen bond between them is evident, and the storyline of Ernest and Arian is the most entertaining.
The third story line is between a college professor, Dr. Stephen Malley (Robert Redford of “Indecent Proposal” and “The Sting”), and his student Todd Hayes (Andrew Garfield of TV movies “Freezing” and “Trial and Retribution XI: Closure”).
Malley and Hayes discuss Hayes’ potential for a life of greater meaning in Malley’s office.
Garfield does a fantastic job of being an apathetic student, which makes the chemistry of the two actors work. Redford, a talented actor, does well in his smaller role, playing his part without stealing the scene.
Redford also directed the movie. His directing was as good as, if not better than, his acting.
The three story lines are all connected in a small way; one takes place in California, one in Washington, D.C. and another in the Middle East. Redford ties them together with the central theme of standing up for what is right and not easy.
Although this theme is never stated in the movie, the three stories all fall into the same moral dilemma.
The biggest criticism of the movie involves the use of computer-generated imagery in some of the shots. It is easy to see that most of the helicopter scenes in the movie are computer graphics.
Overall the movie is worth watching. It seems to take a practical approach in examining the flaws of the war on terror. It also shows how America’s politicians can be foolishly ambitious.
