Injuries sustained by two Army rangers behind enemy lines in Afghanistan set off a sequence of events involving a congressman, a journalist and a professor.
Three stories told simultaneous in ninety minutes of real time: a Republican Senator who's a presidential hopeful gives an hour-long interview to a skeptical television reporter, detailing a strategy for victory in Afghanistan; two special forces ambushed on an Afghani ridge await rescue as Taliban forces close in; a poli-sci professor at a California college invites a promising student to re-engage. Decisions press upon the reporter, the student, and the soldiers.—<[email protected]>
The American government is taking a beating in the public opinion polls for losing the war on terror, despite the President earlier having made the statement that that war had been won, and for its earlier decisions to wage war on Iraq based on "faulty" intelligence while almost totally disregarding the upsurge of an enemy regime in Afghanistan. Reporter Janine Roth, who works for an organization which used to be a true news organization but that was bought out by corporate interests whose financial bottom line is paramount, is planning on using this premise as the core of her upcoming hour long exclusive interview with Republican Senator and Presidential hopeful Jasper Irving. Irving convinces Roth to change the focus of her story to one of breaking news: that the government is taking a new offensive in Afghanistan based on enemy regimes in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan banding together against American forces. This strategy is of Irving's design, as is the want to have Roth be his pro-strategy conduit to the American public. As Roth conducts her interview with Irving, which is more of a debate on the issues, the offensive to which Irving refers has just begun. Two American soldiers, Ernest Rodriguez and Arian Finch, who were friends in university before their enlistment, are caught in a precarious and tenuous situation concerning this offensive. Meanwhile, political science professor Dr. Stephen Malley, who used to teach Rodriguez and Finch, is having an early morning meeting with one of his current students, Todd Hayes. Hayes is a naturally bright student, but has fallen into a state of political social apathy as witnessed by his class attendance record. Malley, using Rodriguez and Finch's situation in his class and following their tenure as students, tries to convince Hayes that he should do something meaningful with his life.—Huggo
Lions for Lambs begins after two determined students at a West Coast University, Arian and Ernest, follow the inspiration of their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley, and attempt to do something important with their lives. But when the two make the bold decision to join the battle in Afghanistan, Malley is both moved and distraught. Now, as Arian and Ernest fight for survival in the field, they become the string that binds together two disparate stories on opposite sides of America. In California, an anguished Dr. Malley attempts to reach a privileged but disaffected student who is the very opposite of Arian and Ernest. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. the charismatic Presidential hopeful, Senator Jasper Irving, is about to give a bombshell story to a probing TV journalist that may affect Arian and Ernest's fates.—Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Two students at a West Coast university, Arian (Derek Luke) and Ernest (Michael Peña), at the urging of their idealistic professor, Dr. Malley (Robert Redford), attempt to do something important with their lives. They make the bold decision to enlist in the army to fight in Afghanistan after graduating from college.
Dr. Malley also attempts to reach talented and privileged, but disaffected, student Todd Hayes (Andrew Garfield), who is not at all like Arian and Ernest. He is naturally bright, comes from a privileged background, but has apparently slipped into apathy upon being disillusioned at the present state of affairs. He says the political system is too far rotten and a Todd Hayes cannot do anything to fix it. Now, he devotes most of his time to extra-curricular activities like his role as president of his fraternity. He also makes excuses like having other classes and a girlfriend to look after.
Malley tests him by offering a choice between a respectable grade of 'B' in the class with no additional work required or a final opportunity to re-engage with the material of the class and "do something." Before Todd makes his choice, he must listen to Dr. Malley's story of his former students Arian and Ernest and why they are in Afghanistan.
Malley argues that Arian and Ernest came from the worst neighborhoods of America. and when the time came, they were the first ones to volunteer to fight for their country. They did this, as they believed to change things, you had to be part of the system. Malley tried to dissuade them from going, but they were adamant. Malley argues that while Arian and Ernest were brave, but the men leading the war were equally stupid and flighty and hence placing one's lives in their hands was foolhardy.But Malley says, at least they did something.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., a charismatic Republican presidential hopeful, Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise), has invited liberal TV journalist Janine Roth (Meryl Streep) to his office to announce a new war strategy in Afghanistan: the use of small units to seize strategic positions in the mountains before the Taliban can occupy them. The senator hopes that Roth's positive coverage will help convince the public that the plan is sound. The President's approval ratings are down and so is public morale, and Jasper wants Janine to write a positive piece rather than focusing on all the mistakes of the past.
Jasper admits that announcing mission accomplished in 2002 was a mistake, and that the Taliban still poses a threat to democracy in Afghanistan. The high ground occupation will allow for constant observation and allow building of a society and a civilization. Taliban from Iraq are pouring into Afghanistan via Iran. The radicals are uniting against the US.
Janine is not sure about the forward point deployment strategy and asks for past mistakes to be analyzed before new ones are made. Janine wants bringing the troops home to be an option as well. Jasper argues that US credibility will be shot, and the region will descend into chaos. US will have to go back 2-3 yrs down the line, with significantly more troops to bring the country under control.
Janine continues to argue that US sent only 15000 troops to Afghanistan and 150,000 to Iraq. and President continues to spend billions on Submarines and planes that cannot win in Afghanistan. Jasper argues that Iraq was a first world country and Afghanistan third world. Janine argues that same "Small size" strategy was used in Vietnam and 58,000 troops were lost. Jasper blames bad intel, bad decision makers and bad PR (Abu Gharib and the media support of the war in Iraq).
While Jasper is convincing Janine, he continues to get reports that the first mission in the strategy is not going well, and 2 soldiers are trapped behind enemy lines. Jasper continues to argue that the press needs to sell the strategy to the people and build the will to win the war.
Roth has her doubts and fears she is being asked to become an instrument of government propaganda. She informs her commercially minded boss Howard, ANX Editor (Kevin Dunn) of her plans to call out the senator's new strategy for what she feels is a ploy (she thinks the small platoons are being used as bait to draw the Taliban out and shoot them down from the air) but is shot down. Ultimately, Irving's version of the story is run without the critical interaction. Whether Roth gave in and toed the company line or quit her job is not clear.
In Afghanistan, Lieutenant Colonel Falco (Peter Berg) lays out the new strategy into place. He orders one unit to take control of a high-rise mountain that offers 360-degree views of the valley below. A helicopter carrying Arian and Ernest is hit by Taliban insurgents (by an anti-aircraft gun hidden in the mountains). Ernest falls out, and Arian jumps after him. Ernest's leg is badly wounded, and he suffers a compound fracture, rendering him immobile as the Taliban arrive.
After a drawn-out gunfight, the U.S. soldiers run out of ammunition. Rather than getting captured, Arian helps Ernest stand up, facing the enemies and turning their empty weapons against them, an action which prompts the Taliban to kill them. The unit commanders attempt a rescue of the downed soldiers, sending A-10 Warthogs, but the weather, time, and distance interfere. The attacking Taliban are mowed down by the dozens, by drones and attack planes. So, the mission was a success.
Hayes is watching television with a friend. A reporter is discussing a singer's private life, while below runs a strip announcing Senator Irving's new military plan for Afghanistan. Hayes suddenly falls quiet, contemplating the choices with which his professor had left him.
