Guide Note

The 2007 film Lions for Lambs is a political drama directed by Robert Redford and starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Redford.

Fast Facts

1. Release Date: November 9, 2007
2. Director: Robert Redford
3. Screenwriters: Matthew Michael Carnahan
4. Producers: Robert Redford, Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tracy Falco and Andrew Hauptman
5. Distributors: MGM/United Artists
6. MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
7. Run time: 88 minutes

This political drama features three different storylines centered around the war in Afghanistan. One story is about a Republican senator played by Tom Cruise, who hopes to recruit a news reporter, played by Meryl Streep, to spin favorable coverage on the government's new military strategy on the war on terror. Another story revolves around two soldiers who are implementing the senator's plan and caught in a life-and-death battle when the plan goes wrong. The final plotline concerns a discussion between a professor, played by Robert Redford, and the disaffected student he is trying to inspire. The three stories complement and inform each other to ultimately deliver a message of the importance of being engaged in the political process.¹

• Robert Redford as Professor Stephen Malley
• Meryl Streep as Janine Roth
• Tom Cruise as Senator Jasper Irving
• Derek Luke as Arian Finch
• Peter Berg as Lt. Col. Falco
• Michael Pena as Ernest Rodriguez