When Lions for Lambs (2007) Took Aim at Politics and Responsibility
When Robert Redford chose to direct and star in Lions for Lambs (2007), he wasn’t chasing box-office spectacle—he was chasing a conversation. The film, written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, unfolds through three interwoven stories: a U.S. senator (Tom Cruise) unveiling a new military strategy to a journalist (Meryl Streep), two young soldiers (Derek Luke and Michael Peña) caught in the Afghan mountains, and a disillusioned professor (Redford) trying to inspire a student (Andrew Garfield) to engage with the world.
The project reflected Redford’s long-standing interest in political and social responsibility. By 2007, the United States was deeply embroiled in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Redford saw an opportunity to use cinema as a mirror for the times. “It wasn’t about giving answers,” he explained later. “It was about asking why—why do we choose apathy over action?”
On set, Redford balanced his dual role as actor and director with quiet intensity. He often rehearsed his scenes with Garfield in private, pushing the young actor to explore not just dialogue but the weight behind it. Garfield later recalled how Redford asked him to think about the “silence between words” as much as the lines themselves, a lesson that shaped his approach to future roles.
The film’s political edge also extended to its casting. Cruise, known for his blockbuster persona, relished the chance to play a morally slippery senator, while Streep brought nuance to her role as a seasoned journalist wrestling with integrity in an era of media spin. Their sparring scenes were shot with minimal cuts, emphasizing the raw tension of power versus accountability.
Though Lions for Lambs divided critics and underperformed commercially, it achieved exactly what Redford hoped: sparking debate. Its structure—three conversations unfolding in real time—reflected the urgency of its themes, asking viewers to confront their own role in society’s choices.
More than a political drama, the film stands as a reminder of Redford’s belief in cinema’s ability to provoke thought. Lions for Lambs may not have roared at the box office, but its echo still lingers as a call to responsibility in a world too often defined by silence.