Lions for Lambs (2007)

Injuries sustained by two Army ranger behind enemy lines in Afghanistan set off a sequence of events involving a congressman, a journalist and a professor.

Director:

Robert Redford

Writer:

Matthew Michael Carnahan

Stars:

Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford	...	Professor Stephen Malley
Meryl Streep	...	Janine Roth
Tom Cruise	...	Senator Jasper Irving
Michael Peña	...	Ernest Rodriguez
Andrew Garfield	...	Todd Hayes
Peter Berg	...	Lt. Col. Falco
Kevin Dunn	...	ANX Editor
Derek Luke	...	Arian Finch
Larry Bates	...	Soldier
Christopher May	...	Soldier
David Pease	...	Soldier
Heidi Janson	...	Soldier
Christopher Carley	...	Sniper
George Back	...	Student
Kristy Wu	...	Student

Storyline

Three stories told simultaneous in ninety minutes of real time: a Republican Senator who's a presidential hopeful gives an hour-long interview to a skeptical television reporter, detailing a strategy for victory in Afghanistan; two special forces ambushed on an Afghani ridge await rescue as Taliban forces close in; a poli-sci professor at a California college invites a promising student to re-engage. Decisions press upon the reporter, the student, and the soldiers.

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Plot Keywords:

student | afghanistan | professor | reporter | university | 

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Taglines:

If you don't STAND for something, you might FALL for anything

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some war violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [fr] United Artists [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Leones por corderos

Filming Locations:

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£658,282 (UK) (9 November 2007)

Gross:

$14,998,070 (USA) (1 February 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), United Artists, Wildwood Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview to the Variety magazine, Tom Cruise said he had made the film out of deep respect for Robert Redford's body of work, which he said had inspired him since Ordinary People.

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Goofs

Janine writes "Whatever it takes" in her notebook, when she is at the Senator's office, at a different point of the page (higher) than later shown, when she revises her writings.

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Quotes

Todd Hayes: Look, if we're gonna spend tax dollars, our tax dollars, to help people break the law in a safer way, why don't we have a designated drunk-driver lane on the highway too?

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Connections

Referenced in The O'Reilly Factor: Episode dated 2 April 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Lean wit It"
Written and Performed by Herman Beeftink
Courtesy of Elite Source Music Productions

User Reviews

Reality

So many negative comments about this movie. But I think we should take a moment to assess what the movie is about. Starting from the title to the credits, the movie is not about a heroic battle or an indelible mistake by a over zealous, self absorbed government. It is about understanding a mindset. If any of you have ever read Francis Fukuyama... its about history repeating itself. Its about the common man being a pawn, about how life really is not a 'great equalizer'. Redford does a brilliant job looking at showing the dynamic impact numerous aspects/events and individuals who impact our lives truly have. The self serving ego of one senator, or the inability of a teacher to persuade a student, or a reporter having to turn a blind eye to conscience because of a need to put a meal on the table the next day. It is nice to finally watch a Hollywood war related film without a heroic massacre. Or a rescue from the jaws of death, or the pity of a sympathetic enemy. Indegenes (French film about WWII) was the last movie that actually attempted to understand the core of the individual, the motivation of an action. Redford captures the same...a stellar film maker!