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Lions for Lambs (2007)

Director: Robert Redford

Time Out rating

Average user rating

19 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Star power energises this state-of-a-nation address, with the stellar names playing to their strengths in the hope of masking what’s essentially a parade of ideological attitudes rather than a drama in its own right. Tom Cruise struts his stuff as hot-shot Republican senator, telling old-school journalist Meryl Streep his latest ruse to make America ‘a force of righteousness’. He’s already dispatched more troops to Taliban strongholds, but she deconstructs the Bush government’s chaotic record and suggests another Vietnam-style humiliation. Cut to the suffering soldiers, specifically two patriotic ex-students of wise-owl politics professor Robert Redford, a Vietnam vet turned activist, who’s concerned by his over-privileged charges’ apathy and, back in California, is giving gifted-but-feckless undergrad Andrew Garfield a grilling to that effect.

With its three distinct spheres of activity, preponderance of counter-thrusting op-ed dialogue, and generous scope for the cast, writer Matthew Carnahan’s sincere but ungainly attempt at getting American audiences to think for themselves would seem more at home on stage. It’s pitched as a ‘statement’, excoriating a tame media, as the ‘war on terror’ needlessly sacrifices America’s underclass overseas, and encouraging the finest young minds to look beyond their future salaries and get involved. As such, there’s little fresh here, but it’s hard to be churlish about Redford’s engagement, except to suggest there’s scant dramatic thrust to bowl over the unconvinced. Streep’s impassioned performance exemplifies the seriousness of the stakes, but a lot of liberal hand-wringing, however commendable, does not in itself a movie make.

Author: Trevor Johnston 2007-11-05 15:44:03

Time Out London Issue 1942: November 7-13 2007

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User reviews of this film

Ray Hyland said...

Posted on Nov 11 2007 19:39 A film that throws everything at the teflon like issue of American foreign policy. Redford's sojourn into serious drama(the completely unrequired Quiz Show included) is worthy for the performance of both Cruise and Streep in a US senator's office. Streep is as you'd expect,still possibly the greatest living actor of our time, whilst Cruise's manipulative shit eating smile is tempered by a perfectly pitched try out for a presidential nomination. The stories intersperse well but in these days of egopics such as Syriana, Traffic, Crash and Babel you get the feeling that just like in the movie people's hearts and minds will be at first sympathetic then cynical.

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smithi said...

Posted on Nov 11 2007 00:14 What a sadly inadequate film.Three top draw actors yet they hardly engage one at all in the ideas behind the film.
Maybe it was made for middle America, but what could have been an earnest attempt to open minds regretably failed to have any convincing moments. It should have been so much better.What a wasted opportunity.

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mary-anne said...

Posted on Nov 10 2007 23:31 This is not a good film. If you want a film that's interesting, engaging, gripping or anything else that's positive, go and see something else. If you want a film you can fidget in, get bored in, consider leaving - repeatedly - and come out saying, 'That was really rubbish', then this is the film for you. Quite a Republican film, lots of references to 'the axis of evil', and 'they attacked us first' - Afghanistan, apparently; if George Bush didn't write this film he certainly approved the script, wholeheartedly. Nothing much happens, zero on the tension front, seen more gripping breakfast cereals. Good performances from Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise and Robert Redford, either they were fed Rohypnol when they agreed to do the film or they're closet Republicans or half the film was cut out. Though, finally, after an hour and a half's waiting and without warning a really good thing did happen, it ended. You have been warned.

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Keith Duckworth said...

Posted on Nov 10 2007 19:56 Worst film that I have seen this year bar none! Tom Cruise was unconvincing as a Senator and I didn't feel that I was being entertained. After half an hour I could have happily walked out of the cinema.

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