Lions for Lambs Blu-ray offers solid video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
An idealistic professor (Redford) in California attempts to inspire a student to do more with his
life, while a charismatic Senator (Cruise) in Washington, D.C. pitches a new Middle East war
strategy to a probing TV journalist (Streep). And halfway across the world, two of the
professor's former students are trapped behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, fighting for freedom
- and their very lives. As the tension mounts and the bullets fly, these Americans will change
each other's live and the world in ways they never could have imagined.
Creating a film that attacks the policies of a domestic government can be a dangerous business when trying to attract a movie-going audience. For most of us, films are a way to escape the harsh truths of reality and escape into a world or setting that our brain can't readily identify with. I'm not saying all politically-charged films lack entertainment value, but they certainly won't appeal to as wide of an audience as a blockbuster action film.
Lions for Lambs suffered a dismal box office fate, but it wasn't due to shortcomings in the film itself. Released in 2007, we'd already seen an opinion shift with the American public on the Iraq war and I'd imagine most theaters remained empty due to a perceived overdose on government policies in the management of the "war on terror". Unfortunately, the modern setting of the film, coupled with a marketing campaign painting it as liberal-minded propaganda, prevented Lions for Lambs from attaining the respect it deserves. There are certainly preachy moments distributed throughout the film, but having seen the film on two occasions now, I can't understand the overwhelmingly negative reviews at the time of its original release. Boasting a star-studded cast and a well respected director (Robert Redford), Lions for Lambs is much more than a political outcry against the policies of the American government; It's a call to action for an American public that teeters on the edge of indifference and a poignant look at the resulting consequences of our decisions.
Ernest (Michael Pena) and Arian (Derek Luke) as their briefed on their upcoming mission.
Doctor Malley (Robert Redford) has been a political science teacher at a California University since his days fighting in the Vietnam War. During his tenure, he's seen students of all types, but prides himself on his ability to identify the potential for greatness in students that may not see that in themselves. In recent years, Malley identified that potential in two gifted students named Arian (Derek Luke) and Ernest (Michael Pena), who decided to join the military in an effort to make a difference. Their decision went against Dr. Mallory's recommendations for their lives, but he acknowledged their desire to stand up for what they believed would make a difference, and their resulting story serves as a backdrop when he approaches a new student who shows potential, but demonstrates a general lack of engagement. While Dr. Mallory is meeting with with this student, we're introduced to Arian and Ernest, as they're sent on a newly-devised mission into Afghanistan to turn the tide against the Taliban. Unfortunately, the mission soon turns deadly, and the two friends find themselves alone on a snowy ridge with the enemy closing in. Their story unfolds on the snowy ridge at the same time as an hourlong interview between a liberally-minded reporter named Janine Roth (Meryl Streep) and a rising young Senator (Tom Cruise). Senator Irving is the mastermind behind the new military operation in Afghanistan, and hopes Roth will help him sell the American public on the merits of his new new plan that surely involves additional American casualties.
It's never an easy task to connect multiple stories in a cohesive fashion. Babel and Crash were both excellent examples of the delicate weave required to keep a viewer engaged in multiple stories at once, but they also contained a degree of tension and intensity that Lions for Lambs doesn't possess. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but your appreciation for the entire film will hinge on your interest and opinion of politics and may have a polarizing effect on some audiences. One-third of the film contains a wealth of action-oriented elements with Arian and Ernest, but there's roughly an hour dedicated solely to cerebral cat and mouse discussions of politics and doing what's right. Personally, I was thoroughly engaged by the majority of the dialogue, and marvelled at the provocative discussions that took place, but I can certainly understand if some viewers find it a little dry. There's an underlying story at the heart of this film, but it wouldn't be too far off-base to say the plot is merely a forum for greater questions to be raised. I can appreciate a film that doesn't shy away from addressing the finger-pointing in modern politics and I'd strongly encourage members of the younger generation to watch the film with an open mind. There's always room to preach about right and wrong, but at the end of the day, actions speak louder than words.
Beyond the themes and plot of the film, is a wonderful production with some of the greatest actors in Hollywood. Robert Redford manages to retain his boyish charm at the age of 71 and possesses a unique ability to own the attention of the audience throughout his performance. Andrew Garfield has the difficult task of playing opposite Redford in the role of troubled student Todd Hayes, but he handles his role with an understated cynicism that lends his character equal weight in the verbal jousting match that ensues. I could go on an on about Cruise and Streep, delving into a lengthy discussion of their acting pedigree, and why they were tailor made for their roles as the Senator and reporter, but I'd imagine anyone with a love of film already knows both actors possess the ability to turn in memorable performances. Their dialogue and mannerisms throughout the film are the true highlights of the entire production, as they each challenge each other to new acting heights. Above all, the contrasting personality of each character kept me on my toes as the passive-aggressive Streep challenged the confidently-assertive Cruise to a game of verbal chess. Regardless of your opinion of the subject matter in the film, I doubt anyone will be disappointed in the performances from the leading actors.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 33Mbps), Lions for Lambs has a reasonably proficient transfer of occasionally difficult source material. Fine object detail rarely approaches the precision of the best Blu-ray has to offer, but considering this was filmed with a Panavision 35 mm camera, I'd imagine it was cinematographer Philipe Rousselot's intention to give the interior, dialogue-driven sequences a smooth film-like appearance. Color holds up well in the daytime sequences, though they tend to exhibit a mild degree of sun-drenched bleaching from the open blinds of the windows. Another likely by-product of the bright sunlight, is the appearance of an annoying blue band across the lower section of the screen when the Senator is sitting behind his desk. This is a shame, since the appearance draws your attention away from the groundwork dialogue between Streep and Cruise. Moving on, nighttime shots are the primary problematic aspect of the transfer. From the instant Arian and Ernest end up on the snowy plateau in Afghanistan, we're exposed to blizzard conditions and a complete lack of light. During these sequences, the foreground shows a wonderful level of detail and above average contrast. However, the background of these scenes tends to become muddled with splotches of undifferentiated blues and blacks. It was a problem that became distracting at times (especially when your looking for the approaching terrorists to arrive at any moment from behind the surrounding boulders) and places a slight stain on what is otherwise a decent presentation.
The primary audio offering on the disc is a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track in the native language of English. For some reason, I don't recall the audio standing out this much on my initial viewing of the film back when it was released on DVD. I recall the dialogue-heavy aspects of the production, but the action sequences certainly didn't leave me with the same impression I had after listening to this on Blu-ray. From the crisp pop of gunfire, to the twirling blades of a helicopter passing overhead, I was sufficiently impressed with the level of spatial separation among the surround channels and the aggressive use of the LFE channel from time to time. This still won't rival the best action films, but gives the scenes in Afghanistan an element of peril that would otherwise be absent without such a robust mix. Additionally, dialogue and background music are afforded an appropriate volume balance next to the action sequences, so you won't find yourself grasping for the remote during scene transitions. Overall, fans should be extremely happy with the audio track on this release.
The Making of Lions for Lambs (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 20:53 min): Delving behind the scenes, this intriguing featurette focuses more on the themes from the film, rather than the production itself. Even when Redford discusses the casting choices, he still references the attributes in each character that play heavily into the emotional impact of the film (thereby bringing the discussion back to a focus on the overall themes).
Script to Screen (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 8:28 min): Continuing the trend of the prior supplement, this featurette discusses the story/script written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, and what drew Redford, Cruise and Streep to the production. Carnahan jumps in from time to time and provides some background on what influenced him in writing the story, and his experience working side by side with such an impressive cast and crew.
UA Legacy (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 6:55 min): This supplement contains clips from numerous films released by the United Artist studio since the 1930's. I found myself wishing I could set aside an entire day to watch several of the films shown.
Rounding out the extras, we have two high-definition trailers for the film, and a director's commentary with Robert Redford (focusing more on the story that unfolds rather than the technical aspects of his work as the director).
Lions for Lambs is a striking analysis of human apathy during a time of political crisis. I wish there'd been less preaching from time to time (the film tends to hit you over the head with some of the prevailing themes), but Redford demonstrates a steady hand in reigning in his political beliefs and asking the viewer to take responsibility for their actions. Unfortunately, the film is also a product of bad timing, arriving at a time when the American public preferred not to think about what is taking place in the Middle East. It's almost ironic that the exact principle addressed in the film may also have been the primary component that led to its box office failure. We simply prefer not to think about those things that draw us out of our comfort zone, and that's precisely what this film sets out to do.
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