Irving has called his meeting with Roth to announce and "sell" his new policy on the War on Terror as it involves Afghanistan. The two exchange barbs in a civil, intelligent manner, but Roth remains suspicious while Irving tries to establish an open line of communication -- with some distinctly self-serving motives. Malley, we soon discover, knows the two soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and seems desperate to convince his latest bright student to do more than just coast through college and let others fight battles for you.
Carnahan said that he didn't plan to make two politically themed films back to back but The Kingdom "certainly had a lot to do with Lions for Lambs and why I wanted to write it. While I was writing The Kingdom , I really fell in love with the parts of that story that take place in Washington, D.C. and how these seemingly innocuous meetings that take twenty minutes in D.C. can have broad effects across the globe. I was really taken with that when I was doing the research for The Kingdom . So thats where I got the interest to write something that had to do with Washington, D.C."
Lions for Lambs (UA)
But the inspiration for what kind of story was even more personal, Carnahan said, "This story had been brewing for awhile and there was one event that really got me to throw myself into it. I was trying to find the USC game on TV and I flipped right past this CNN report about a Humvee that had flipped into some body of water in Iraq. And I thought what a terrible way to die. Youre fighting a war and you die in essentially a traffic accident. I thought thats awful, so awful that I cant turn past it fast enough. And it kind of struck me later on that Im the first one to complain and rant and rave about the War on Terror, yet it also struck me that Im just as big a part of the problem as anybody because my ranting and raving never got me to stand up and do much of anything. I fancy myself a writer and I wasnt even writing letters to editors or my congressman or senator. That cognition combined with the idea that I really wanted to write something focused in D.C. Thats where Lions for Lambs came from."
Despite the political nature of the film, some people might be surprised at the tone. Both Carnahan and Redford maintain a measured tone that allows for discussion rather than a yelling match. The film is definitely critical of current policies yet it also suggest that the Bush Administration is not the only one to shoulder all the blame. Professor Malley said, "The problem is not with the people who started this, the problem is with us." Carnahan and Redford show that politicians bank on public apathy, and the film ends up as a call to action for people to simply become more engaged. The film also strikes out at the media, not only for its role in the War on Terror, but also for the way journalism has changed over the years.
"The part thats been difficult is when you start writing political things," Carnahan said. "People, long before they ever see your movie, are going to go after it with fangs. I just hope that at some point, in quieter moments, they will let themselves see the movie and understand that I think that Tom Cruises character -- a young, very intelligent Republican senator -- has, in my estimation, some of the best arguments in the entire movie. I think Variety described it as 'backbreakingly liberal but also deeply patriotic.' I completely take issue with the liberal part because Im a staunch independent, but the patriotic part, I adore that they said that. Thats been the biggest challenge. That were in such a polarized state right now in this country where people, I feel, almost identify themselves as Republican or Democrat first and then Americans second. Thats been the biggest problem, just trying to convince people to put away the pre-judgments and actually go see it for themselves."
The structure of the film also allows for the story to play out in almost real time, like High Noon famously did. So despite the talky nature of the script, the film does develop a sense of urgency. It seems to be saying that we need to get more engaged because time is running out.
"Oh absolutely. That's what I was trying to say with that structure," Carnahan said. "I wanted people at some point to be struck by the idea that in that hour and a half that they were sitting in the theater, the very things that they were seeing on the screen, especially what happens to the two soldiers, are happening around the world -- are happening thousands of miles away. I really wanted to drive home to people that as we go about our daily lives, men and women -- maybe our best and brightest men and women -- are in uniform and fighting for their lives and dying in places that, you could make an argument, might not be worth even one American life. So I really wanted to drive some of those bigger difficult questions home and that structure thats on screen was kind of the best I could do that."
Carnahan said that he began asking himself, "How many more people are going to die and at what number do we actually start to pay attention in some sort of civic concerted way? I thought it would be 1,000, I thought it would be 2,000, but were getting into the 4,000- range now. And while I dont have the answers, I certainly have the frustration. I certainly have the mounting anger with that. I want to know what it is we should do, and I dont think that answer comes about unless a majority of Americans start pondering it or pondering the question."
Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise face off in Lions for Lambs (UA)
And that's really what Lions for Lambs wants audiences to do: to ponder the current state of affairs and ask themselves if they are satisfied with how the War on Terror is going. If not, what can they do to become more engaged and more vocal in their discontent? The actors, especially Redford, come across as passionate and sincere about the material. At moments, the line between Redford and the character he plays seems blurred, as if Redford were just speaking his own mind on the issues. This will prove engaging to some, but off-putting to others.
In case you are wondering about where the title comes from, Carnahan, a self-described "military and history dork," said he was watching the history or military channel and saw a show about World War I in which "a German field marshal had written a letter home talking about how the British grunts put up an amazing fight, more so than they would have ever thought, but the British officers were every bit as bad as their soldiers are good. And he said 'never before have I seen such lions led by such lambs.' I just remember being struck by that and thinking what an amazing kind of parallel, at least in my mind, to whats going on now. That you have these patriots who have volunteered to fight for us, and we have to ask the question: Are they being led by people as good as they are, as capable as they are? Are they being led by our best and brightest? I think the answer to that is a resounding no. And thats a central question in my mind when I was writing this."
Lions for Lambs (rated R for some war violence and language) is sincere and passionate but lacks real dramatic fire. Redford has some clunky moments with the action in Afghanistan and seems much more at home in the professor's office or the halls of D.C. Redford's approach also makes it a film that's likely to preach to the converted. The fact that its an openly political film and that its basically a bunch of people sitting around talking will likely mean that it wont reach the people who might benefit most from hearing the debate. And the film's call to action is actually something that applies beyond just this current moment in America's political history. It's a constant that the film argues for.
Companion viewing: The Kingdom , The Candidate, High Noon
