Dr. Malley has always encouraged his students to do something valuable with their lives. In fact, he teaches it. But when two of his students, Adrian and Ernest, decide to join the fight in Afghanistan, Malley is torn between respect and dread. But as the two fight for their lives in the battlefield, they become the backbone to a moving story that involves their former professor reaching out to a student and a high profile presidential hopeful in Senator Jasper Irving who is dropping the story of a lifetime to TV journalist Janine Roth. Will this "˜groundbreaking story' affect the lives of Adrian and Ernest and will Malley be able to personally make up for his conflicting conscious over his two former students. Either way, all three stories are tightly intertwined showing how every life affects the other and the impact we all have on the world.
Thriving on three amazing performances and a solid story that raises more questions than answers, Lions for Lambs propels in every aspect, creating a stellar political drama that causes people to think about America's concern and approach to war.
With three high profile actors you expect the on screen chemistry to be anything but solid; however, the combined work of Cruise, Redford and Streep helped the movie live up to its potential by working well together and creating a dramatically tense feeling among its audience members.
Meryl Street gives an expected performance filled with grace, poise and utter perfection as she portrays an unemotional seasoned reporter. Fast on her heels is Tom Cruise who plays a startling and realistic senator with an eye out for the White House. Both actors spend 99% of their screen time together and through their actions and facial expressions they are able to create a tense, dramatic environment that becomes awkward even for the audience.
On the other side of the story we have Robert Redford who more than pulls his weight as a professor dealing with both politics and potential. However, his counterpart, Andrew Garfield, proves to be nothing more than a "˜Tom Cruise protoche' and is the one dying link in an otherwise flawless cast.
The third leg of this triad consists of Michael Pena and Derek Luck. First thing is first, I have to commend Michael Pena for his amazing work as Ernest Rodriguez. Pena has had some amazing supporting roles in films like World Trade Center, Shooter and Crash, and he puts it all out there again with this film. Working along side Catch a Fire's Derek Luke, both excel and give the audience a glimpse into the future of Hollywood.
But the film doesn't stop there. In a day that the theatres are flooded with political dramas, Lions for Lambs goes nowhere near answering questions but rather raise questions in its attempt to inform and address the growing concerns in America. The film dissects the politicians' way of thinking and brings the questions of whom and why to the forefront. Captivating and enthralling its audience, the film demands your attention and creates a mutual respect for one and all "¦ because after all, we're all American, so we're all in this together.
