Lions for Lambs film will break your heart

I watched Lions for Lambs Sunday (cable Comcast on demand) and found it to be profound and heartbreaking. The talking heads panned the film because it was intellectual and didn't fit in with the Bush administration agenda. I recommend it to every thinking person. ---BBB

Lions for Lambs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lions for Lambs is a 2007 film about a platoon of United States soldiers in Afghanistan, a U.S. senator, a reporter, and a California college professor. With a title that alludes to incompetent leaders sending brave soldiers into the slaughter of battle, the film takes aim at the U.S. government's prosecution of the wars in the Middle East. The film was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, and directed by Robert Redford. It stars Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and Tom Cruise. The film was released in North America on Friday, November 9, 2007, to mixed, but mostly negative reviews and disappointing box office receipts.

It was the first Cruise/Wagner Productions film since the company joined with United Artists subsequent to Cruise's falling out with Paramount Pictures in 2006.

Plot:

The story begins after two determined students at a West Coast university, Arian (Derek Luke) and Ernest (Michael Peña), follow the inspiration of their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley (Redford), and attempt to do something important with their lives. But when the two make the bold decision to commission as officers in the US Army to join the war in Afghanistan, Malley is both moved and distraught. In flashback we see Arian and Ernest in class, giving a presentation.

In California, an anguished Dr. Malley attempts to reach privileged but disaffected student Todd Hayes (Andrew Garfield) who is the very opposite of Arian and Ernest. He is bright but not working very hard; he says this is because of the time he spends with his girlfriend, and as president of his fraternity. Malley puts him to the test by offering him a B without doing anything. This puzzles Hayes.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C. the charismatic Republican presidential hopeful, Senator Jasper Irving (Cruise), has invited TV journalist Janine Roth (Streep) to announce a new war strategy in Afghanistan. Already underway, the strategy is to use small units to take strategic points in the mountains ("forward operating points") before the Taliban occupy them. He hopes that Roth's positive coverage will convince the public of the plan's soundness. Roth has her doubts and does not want to become an instrument of propaganda, so she quits. When she leaves her office she drives by a military cemetery and breaks into tears. However, her commercial-minded boss is happy to publish the story.

A helicopter carrying Arian and Ernest is hit. Ernest falls out of the helicopter, and Arian jumps after him. Ernest's leg is badly wounded and he cannot move; Arian stays with him. After some time the Taliban arrive. After a gun fight they run low on ammunition and, rather than die lying down, Arian helps Ernest stand up and face the Taliban. Knowing the rescue chopper won't arrive on time, Arian raises his rifle and both are killed in a hail of gunfire whilst scenes from their lives are flashed on screen. The final bombing run is completed and the rescue helicopter arrives moments after they die.

The film ends with Hayes watching the news with a friend. The reporter is talking about a singer's private life, while below runs a strip announcing Irving's new Military plan for Afghanistan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_for_Lambs