Review of Lions for Lambs (2007) by Joshua E — 06 Sep 2008

Eschewing cinematic trickery and shock value moments or plot twists, this film earns high marks for asking tough questions and leaving the audience to to come to its own conclusions.

Though it may seem at first a typical "Republicans-are-bad-Iraq/Afghanistan-are bad-and politics sucks" left-wing piece of tripe, it quickly becomes clear that this is an intelligent attempt to showcase each critical portion of the American persona. The right-wingers in control, the media who report them, the academics who criticize them, and the youth, who have to decide whom to follow.

The film is not for the thrill-seeker, the romantic, or the sappy. It is a film for the questioners, those who are prepared to look deep within themselves and ask what vision of America they will choose to embrace, and whether or not they have the will to impose it.