Lions For Lambs (Widescreen Edition)

It takes time for the punch to be felt...
LIONS FOR LAMBS as a movie has the courage to do just what the message of the film attempts to do: encourage the American public to stop being so apathetic about our position in the global community. The dramatization of three points of view about the Middle East conflicts (it not only takes on the Iraq debacle, but adds the Afghanistan and Iran problems as well) could, in lesser hands than Robert Redford's direction of Matthew Michael Carnahan's script, be a preachy bore. But while the 'action' of the film may not grab the viewer, the afterburn of the message will haunt the thinking person.

Three scenarios interweave (at times a bit bumpy in the editing, and at times a bit distracting): adamantly pro-war Republican Senator Irving (Tom Cruise) is interviewed by veteran 'thinking' journalist Janine Roth (Meryl Streep) and each defends/attacks the current strategy of the war in Iraq (Irving is taking calls about the latest 'expansion' into Afghanistan); Professor Malley...

For those who dare to be challenged
It's unfortunate that many don't demand much of movie-making and even less of themselves. I for one demand a great deal from both.

This movie is complex in the sense that it didn't provide a neatly summarized and easily digestible answer to what is a very complicated question, mortality (i.e., how to get the best value out of ones life).

By interweaving the different plots it conveyed a contrast that couldn't have been accomplished otherwise.

But most importantly, this movie is about choices. Whether your a journalist who realizes you are doing a disservice to your profession by going along to get along, or whether you're a student that finds comfort in being cynical as opposed to buckling down to change things for the better or perhaps if you choose to put your safety in harms way for the greater good, these are all choices that may not fit easily in one's comfort zone. Tough choices indeed, and as such should not be expected to be dealt with...

Think about why and how our leaders make decisions
Yes this movie requires the viewer to pay attention. Yes it will make you think about your past experiences with college, the government and the media. I bought the DVD to give to my two grandsons who are in college and facing the reality of being an adult in today's world. But first I will give it to my sons, who, like me, faithfully served in the military and found our country's leaders and media lacking. This movie brilliantly shows the real world interplay of social and political forces that shape and alter our lives.

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