Lions for Lambs (2007)
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The story
Two students at a West Coast university, Arian and Ernest, decide to enlist in the army to fight in Afghanistan after graduating from college. Their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley, attempts to reach another talented but apathetic student, Todd Hayes, by sharing the story of Arian and Ernest. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., a Republican presidential nominee, Senator Jasper Irving, meets with a liberal TV journalist, Janine Roth, to announce a new military strategy in Afghanistan. Roth struggles with her role as a potential instrument of government propaganda while the soldiers face the realities of combat in the mountains.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Two students at a West Coast university, Arian and Ernest, enlist in the army to fight in Afghanistan after graduating. Their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley, tries to engage a privileged but apathetic student, Todd Hayes, by telling him the story of Arian and Ernest. In Washington, D.C., Senator Jasper Irving meets with journalist Janine Roth to announce a new military strategy involving small units seizing strategic positions. Roth is pressured by her boss to run the story without critical interaction. In Afghanistan, a helicopter carrying Arian and Ernest is hit by Taliban insurgents. Ernest falls out and is badly wounded; Arian jumps after him. After a gunfight, they run out of ammunition and Arian helps Ernest stand up to face the enemies, leading to their deaths. The unit commanders attempt a rescue, but weather and distance interfere. Back home, Hayes watches the news about the senator's plan and contemplates the choices his professor left him.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Redford
- Writers
- Matthew Michael Carnahan · writer
- Cast and characters
- Robert Redford · Professor Stephen Malley; Meryl Streep · Janine Roth; Tom Cruise · Senator Jasper Irving (R-IL); Michael Peña · Ernest Rodriguez; Andrew Garfield · Todd Hayes; Derek Luke · Arian Finch; Peter Berg · Lieutenant Colonel Falco; Kevin Dunn · Howard, ANX Editor
- Genres
- war drama; political drama
- Themes
- government prosecution of wars; generational conflict; disillusionment; bravery vs. leadership
- Tone and mood
- preachy; soporific; dull; self-satisfied
- Premise and plot tags
- war; political drama; military strategy
- Reception
- The film received mixed or average reviews from critics and a 'C' grade from audiences, with many noting it felt more like a lecture or a play than a traditional film.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: C · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The character of Todd Hayes was inspired by the writer, Matthew Michael Carnahan, during college.; Robert Redford considered the movie's focus was for audiences to be entertained in a way that made them think.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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