Lions for Lambs

I saw a movie, "Lions for Lambs" a 2007 American war drama film directed by Robert Redford and written by Matthew Michael . Starring Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep.
Redford is also producing it.

Idealistic professor, Dr. Malley, at a West Coast university attempts to persuade his two students , Arian and Ernest make to do something important.
They make the bold decision to commission in the army to fight in Afghanistan after graduating from college.

Dr. Malley tells about Arian and Ernest to his another student Todd Hayes who is talented and privileged unlike the two.
Malley wants to persuade him to do something important for the country or world.
Todd thinks

Republican presidential hopeful, Senator Jasper Irving, has invited liberal TV journalist Janine Roth to his office to announce a new war strategy in Afghanistan.
He actually wants to advertize himself by fighting terrorism, emphasizing " I won't run for president at all".
Roth thinks "something is fishy".
She doubts and fears she is being asked to become an instrument of government propaganda.

In Afghanistan, a helicopter carrying Arian and Ernest is hit by Taliban insurgents. Ernest falls out, and Arian jumps after him.
They are surrounded by a crowd of enemies.
These two students are fighting for Irving's war strategy, knowing nothing that is actually for the Senator's political ambition.

Meanwhile Todd says to Dr. Malley that soldiers fighting in the wars are young men from the slums by ordering of politicians from privileged background.

That's the point of this movie, I think.
People fighting in the war are the poor who have never received the benefits of the country.
And who make war and order those to go to the battlefield are the people privileged.
By the way, this title "Lions for Lambs" apparently alludes
to incompetent leaders sending brave soldiers into the slaughter of battle.

This is a conscientious piece of work with a serious theme,
I think.
Robert Redford is a wonderful director, filmmaker and actor.
Tom Cruise as Senator Jasper Irving and Meryl Streep as Janine Roth perform excellently as usual.