IMDb > Lions for Lambs (2007)
Lions for Lambs
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Lions for Lambs (2007) More at IMDbPro »

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Lions for Lambs (2007) -- The second trailer for the drama film about the connection between U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, a senator, a reporter and a college professor
Lions for Lambs (2007) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   20,015 votes
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Director:
Writer (WGA):
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View company contact information for Lions for Lambs on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 November 2007 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
If you don't STAND for something, you might FALL for anything more
Plot:
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. full summary | full synopsis
NewsDesk:
(46 articles)
Celebrate Veteran’s Day with a War Movie Overload
 (From FilmSchoolRejects. 11 November 2009, 2:33 PM, PST)

Miss Saigon movie moving ahead
 (From Corona's Coming Attractions. 21 October 2009, 1:01 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
I may agree, but that doesn't excuse poor film-making. more (269 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for some war violence and language.
Runtime:
92 min
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Language:
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Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
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Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

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 (1980). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Senator Irving returns to his office after receiving a phone call, there is a lamp positioned slightly in front of the framed article (about him) that was written by Janine. When Janine was looking at the article previously, there was no such obstruction. more
Quotes:
Todd Hayes: Who never says anything even though he never stops talking. more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Won't Get Fooled Again more

FAQ

What aspect of the plot is taken from a book about real life events in Afganistan, and what was the name of the book?
more
27 out of 48 people found the following comment useful.
I may agree, but that doesn't excuse poor film-making., 2 December 2007
2/10
Author: pointofinformation-1 from United States

I have seen a number of truly horrible films that are supposedly provocative or tackling the hard issues recently. I watched "The Kingdom" the other day, for example. As it turns out, it was written by the same writer of "Lions for Lambs", Matthew Michael Carnahan. I'm suspecting a trend.

Why I didn't like it: 1. Bad performances from good actors. Dare I say it? Meryl Streep was terrible. I see better acting day-to-day in the intermediate acting class I teach. When you give a good actress a bad part, she will fail in it. Her only real contribution to the role was the slightly humorous line she appeared to have coached-improvised in the TV station. Robert Redford was as dreary and predictable as his part was written. Perhaps he was too tired from directing this terrible personal politics statement to make nuanced decisions. Instead, he played this with the nuance and expertise of a young Schwarzenegger. The only solid performance was by Tom Cruise, who had the best part in the film. Why is this? Because the writer didn't have to write anything. Carnahan could just Google up some right-wing rhetoric and slap it on the page with minor adjustments that my playwriting 103 students could do in two days.

2. The writing was cheesy and ill-advised. What I thought was going to be a provoking political thriller was actually a sad pseudo-film, pseudo-historical fiction docudrama with very little to say that everyone, not just the learned, has heard before. Some scenes read as smoothly as a 60s recruitment video or an after-school special. The whole film had definite elements of it in that it was blatant in its moral statements to the point of Robert Redford walking up to me and saying, "Don't trust the right wing. War is bad." I agree with that statement, but the film the message is conveyed in must be good or at least passable. When the writing seemed so pushed into pseudo-realism that I'm sure the studio demanded, it created an unfortunate choice for me as an audience member: Should I suspend my disbelief so far as to demean myself or should I just be put off that I'm not getting my ten dollars back?

3. There is no emotion in the film. The wealthy college student shows apathy, the two poor kids show misguided courage and determination, the college professor is like a dull version of Olmos in "Stand and Deliver", but for political science. The young gun Republican is evil, the reporter rediscovers her integrity, her boss cares about ratings, wash-rinse-repeat for 88 minutes. The problem is, all of these characters are so stock; we encounter these people over and over again in films and in real life. This was such a student film. It'll hopefully get put away on the unreachable top shelf of the local store.

4. Disproportionate praise of the troops. Redford obviously wants to support the troops by bringing them home. In the film, Americans are heroes who overcome incredible odds and are willing to fight for the freedom and the blah blah blah. I wholeheartedly believe in care and emotional support for troops, but the film just drooled over them like gods.

Why I liked the film: Summer Hernandez Kowalski when you see her on-screen. That's it.

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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lions for Lambs (2007)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Now That Afghanistan is Obama's War... Fillumfan
do you want to win the war on terror? peaches_xo
Why does everyone think this is a liberal movie? utopian_paradox
my thoughts ticoadrian84
Was Todd thinking of enlisting at the end? Joker-26
should i see this movie? vbelyshev
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