The Quad

Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: Entertainment

In a world with heightened political turmoil and a president who, according to his approval rating, has been identified as one of the worst in American history, it would seem that political thrillers would be profitable. Frustration over the war in Iraq has led to a rise in awareness of the public and the question surrounding why our nation has become entrenched in a war that seems to have no end in sight have become daily conversation fodder. With the growing questioning of our government and the approach it has taken to the War on Terror, one would assume that recent political thrillers would be bankable at the box office.

Sadly, the political thrillers of this year have failed to achieve success at the box office. Films such as "Rendition" came and went in theaters relatively quickly, despite high-quality performances. However, perhaps these films are telling the audience something they already know, that our country has used coercive methods in order to find terrorists, and that there have been substantial mistakes made in both the war in Iraq and the War on Terror.

Enter "Lions for Lambs," the latest political thriller to grace the big screen. This film showcases itself as a conversation piece, examining the problems that have occurred in the world since 9/11. "Lions for Lambs" should have been the political thriller that Hollywood needed, as it combined star-power - with Tom Cruise, Meryl Steep and Robert Redford - with a hot discussion topic. However, there is a substantial problem with the film; it fails to fully examine the scope of the issue. It is a dull, 90 minute film that never really gets going. While "Rendition" showed what is occurring, "Lions for Lambs" showed procedure, to a degree, never fully examining the issue enough to give the audience the magnitude of why there is such debate over the way the War on Terror has been handled.

The film begins after two determined students, Arian (Derek Luke) and Earnest (Michael Pena), take the cue from their political science professor, Dr. Malley (Robert Redford), to do something with their lives. Much to the dismay for Dr. Malley, the two promising students have enlisted in the United States military.

Flash-forward a few years and the boys are fighting for survival in the mountains of Afghanistan as they have been lost from their platoon. At the same time, Dr. Malley attempts to make a difference to another promising student named Todd (Andrew Garfield).

Continued...

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