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LIONS for Lambs is intelligently written, but it's still anti-war propaganda, which is a pity.

Divided into three sections, one sees Meryl Streep's veteran journalist interviewing Tom Cruise's upcoming senator while he tries to sell her on a new initiative that's going to win the war on terror in Afghanistan.

A second follows a meeting between political sciences lecturer Robert Redford and an intelligent student who's about to drop out, played by newcomer Andrew Garfield, while the last section tells the tale of two previous promising drop outs, played by Derek Luke and Ernest Rodriguez, who are now at the forefront of the senator's new initiative in Afghanistan.

The college sections of the film work really well, with flashbacks to show how Luke and Rodriguez came to shine and to leave the course behind, but the film is let down by a wordy exchange between Cruise and Streep which is far too theatrical to be on screen, and a near pitch-black war zone encounter which particularly fails to showcase Derek Luke who is a fine actor and horribly underused.

A polished and well produced effort, but prepare to feel manipulated whatever your view of the war on terror.

AT

2:19pm Wednesday 7th May 2008

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