Lions for Lambs

The title of this 2007 movie refers to the frustration of incompetent military leaders sending brave, heroic soldiers on ill thought out and or conceived missions.

The movie starring Robert Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep certainly has enough star power to be a success. The reviews however were not good, the movie made very little money, and has generally been classified as a disappointment.

Last weekend I happened upon this movie and seeing the cast started watching it and despite the reviews that have been widespread I have to say that I most definitely do not concur. I thought the movie was very strong.

In fairness to the reviewers there was a sense that the movie was going somewhere, as you watch the opening scenes you do not realize that these scenes are going to be the biggest part of the movie. That said, for me it still worked.

We meet Tom Cruise as California Senator Jasper Irving. A young, handsome, war hero he is considered a future Presidential candidate and is as ambitious as he is well thought of. A huge advocate of our military adventures in the Middle East he invites a semi hostile reporter in for an interview.

Meryl Streep plays Janine Roth, a veteran reporter shocked to be given an audience with Irving. Little does she know he has determined that she is just the kind of reporter he needs to sell his plan for what is called establishing forward points in Afghanistan to increase the chances for success. When she advises him that to her forward points might be otherwise called bait he realizes she is in for a battle in making her convinced. Playing on her patriotism he pulls her in until she knows not what to do. She feels a responsibility for the Iraq war and the lack of questions put forth by the news media including herself.

As this is going on, at a California university a typical liberal minded college Professor named Stephen Malley, played by Redford, has called a meeting with one of his students. Todd Hayes has all the potential in the world, easily recognized by Malley, but he now is missing too many classes and while he is doing the work he is not engaged and Malley is convinced that he could be a bright light, one of few that enters his classroom that can make a difference.

The third scene connects the two first. The mission that Senator Irving is trying to sell to Reporter Roth is starting as they speak. In it are two soldiers named Rodriguez and Finch who are to be among a group landing at a forward point. As they land however they are fired upon and the mission is soon in trouble.

These two soldiers also hold the distinction of being the other shining lights for Professor Malley. While he is trying to engage his new student he tells them the story of these two young men who came through his classroom and then instead of going to graduate school at Harvard or Yale joined the army. They felt to stand outside the system and mock it was hypocritical.

For me this movie worked. Perhaps it struck my idealism bone. I am not sure. Redford had a great deal of skin in the game, he produced, directed and starred in the movie. It must have been a sadness to him to have it do so poorly. I am not afraid of being in the minority, that much is well established, in this movie I am.

I give it a strong positive rating.

The Deer Hunter

I watched this movie this week. It was a movie that allows you have to have different opinions about it. Robert De Niro was wonderful in it. Christopher Walken was very good, a far cry from some of his less serious roles of late.

A young Meryl Streep is beautiful and subdued in her role. Reading the backstory one cannot help but center on John Cazale. After playing Frodo in the Godfather movies his place in movie lore is assured. In this movie he sealed it by despite having end stage lung cancer which had moved to his bones she chose to take this role. Meryl Streep,his fiance at the time joined him in the movie was the woman caught between Walken and De Niro.

The movie told in 4 scenes goes between Vietnam and Clairton, Pennsylvania. The main characters, all Russian Americans are all affected in some way by the war.

The movie won Best Picture and while I liked the movie that seems extreme. The Vietnam scenes, and extended scenes of forced Russian roulette were extreme then and are extreme now. Walken's character Christoper, after going AWOL gets sucked into the gambling scene in a fallen Saigon and that seems a little off from the rest of the believability of the movie.

For me however the most memorable scene is the last scene. After the funeral for Christopher the characters are having coffee around a table. Cazale, whose scenes were filmed first as he was literally at deaths door, is seated next to Streep while the characters somberly reflect on the loss of their friend. In the movie the characters did not interact much so this seating must be on purpose. As a final gesture to the real life couple who would soon be facing Cazale's death. This and this alone makes this movie memorable.