Robert Redford directs and stars in Lions For Lambs (UA)
Lions for Lambs (opening Nov. 9 throughout San Diego) is the first film directed by Robert Redford in almost seven years. As an actor, Redford has made films that deal with politics ( The Candidate ), with politicians ( All the President's Men ) and with political ideas ( Three Days of the Condor ). But Lions for Lambs is his most unabashedly political film. The film is written by Matthew Michael Carnahan who also wrote The Kingdom , which is still in theaters. But while The Kingdom places genre concerns before political ones, Lions for Lambs plays out almost like a debate of ideas. Listen to my Film Chat and read more of my interview with Matthew Carnahan:
Lions for Lambs deals with the War on Terror and the current Bush Administrations policies. The structure of the film is interesting. It sets up three parallel stories in three different time zones Washington, D.C., California and Afghanistan but all taking place at the same time. In D.C., Meryl Streep plays Janine Roth, a seasoned, liberal reporter arriving for a one-on-one interview with the fast-rising young Republican Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise); in California, Redford plays Professor Stephen Malley who's trying to energize a bright but lazy student (Andrew Garfield); and in Afghanistan, two young soldiers (Derek Luke and Michael Pena) are at the frontline of the War on Terror.
Phyllis
November 24, 2007 at 09:26 PM
Brilliant film !
Our young people ARE the answer.
We need to help them be engaged -- but not as part of 'The System' -- outside of the system.
Thank you Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise for putting your selves on the line with this brilliant statement ! Thank you andrew Garfield - brilliantly acted !
And thank you Michael Carnahan for having the zhutzpah to create this film !
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Giancarlo
November 27, 2007 at 06:55 AM
Not a bad movie. However, the message to get involved for, supposedly, the good of humanity, loses its strength by the one sided depiction of the war in Afghanistan. The heroes, who suffer and wriggle, are only the Americans, while scores of the enemy are killed by superior firepower, just like ants. It looks very much like in old western movies, the cowboys are the heroes, while thousands of soulless, dehumanized, Indians are decimated. In an antiwar movie I would have appreciated some degree of even handedness, by showing suffering and determination on the other side too. Unfortunately, the message seems to be to get involved for the good of America, not necessarily for the rest of the world.
Beth Accomando
November 27, 2007 at 05:20 PM
Giancarlo,
Thanks for your observation. I agree that the film would have been stronger if it at least suggested what the Afghani perspective was.
Ron
December 22, 2007 at 08:17 AM
An excellent, important, thought-provoking and engaging movie. Quite inspiring. Perhaps I am a pessimist but unfortunately, I think the film will communicate and appeal to only a minority - those few that have some ability of independent thought, some awareness of the social and political scene and without excessive political brainwashing and bias. It is not a movie for the stupefied mob that lives in front of the TV, and does and believes and values what it is told by the mass media machine. That there are so many poor reviews is an interesting comment on those individual media groups and individual reviewers themselves. Likely the amount of negative response was predicted - so Redford, Streep and Cruise deserve high commendations for putting out this work regardless. I am certain the film has had a profound affect on those it did reach, myself included.
Asha Gopaul-Pfau
January 09, 2008 at 10:08 PM
Let's hope that this initiative will urge young people to go to the polls and vote for the right person. Remember that hope lies in the future and the future is in the next generation. They have the power to make CHANGE!!!
Beth Accomando
January 09, 2008 at 10:10 PM
Yes, it would be great if films like this could motivate people -- both young and old -- to get out and vote.
