LIONS FOR LAMBS — ** — Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise; rated R (violence, profanity, brief gore, vulgarity, slurs, brief drugs)
"Lions for Lambs" has a lot to say. The film tries to make a statement — or perhaps a series of statements — about war, the current political climate and the world in general.
In fact, it appears the movie would rather do that than develop multidimensional characters or compelling dramatic situations.
That would be fine if the film had anything new to say. Instead, it's preaching to the converted. Those who agree with its sentiments likely felt that way going into the movie. And the film is so talk-heavy and strident that it becomes overwhelming and a bit of a bore.
"Lions for Lambs" is a World War I saying referring to politicians and soldiers, and the film is made up of three seemingly separate but interconnected story lines.
The first centers on college professor Stephen Malley (Robert Redford, who also directed). He is trying to convince a promising student, Todd Hayes (Andrew Garfield), to quit slacking and put in more of an effort.
Meanwhile, veteran political reporter Janine Roth (Meryl Streep) finds herself face-to-face with Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise), a charismatic senator who reveals details about a new military strategy being implemented in Afghanistan.
And it's in Afghanistan that two of Malley's former students, Arian Finch (Derek Luke) and Ernest Rodriguez (Michael Pena), find themselves, injured and lost behind enemy lines.
In many respects, the movie almost feels like a filmed stage play. And Redford and screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan's tale becomes a little tiresome as it takes on the state of journalism and the educational system, although these subjects are handled in a more even-handed way than you might expect.
But even this cast can't make us more than mildly interested in the subject matter. In terms of performances, the three big names are all good (and Streep adds much-needed humor).
"Lions for Lambs" is rated R for strong violent content (shootings, explosive mayhem and other warfare), strong sexual language (profanity and crude slang terms), brief gore, slurs based on race and ethnicity, and brief drug references. Running time: 88 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com