Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, and Robert Redford are the all-star cast in this Redford directed movie that audiences probably stayed away from because of its current events story of a battle occurring in Afghanistan where a senator wants a new plan of action, a reporter just wants to exploit the story, and a professor wants nothing to do with the war, but see his former students come home and teach a current student to be all that he can be.

Redford labors in this film as he does with most films he directs, but it does not hurt the film. Streep and Cruise do not capture the top of their game acting that they normally do and ‘B’ list actors may have worked better in these parts. Redford as an actor seemed tired, just as much as he was tired of his students not achieving what they could. Was he intending on inspiring these students? What works for this film has nothing to do with acting or directing though and that is why I say this is a movie to see.

This movie is Altman-esque as it contains four stories that all interconnect, but in a direct way, much less indirect as Altman chooses. This is even more direct than Babel in its interrelating stories. Overall, this is simply a political movie much like Primary Colors was in its day giving an obvious viewpoint of the current events of politics today. I think this is very interesting.

Cruise is the senator who tells his “plan” to Streep while the plan is actually already in progress. He is feeding the media what he wants the public to hear. Streep is the reporter wanting the story, hoping not to sell out and tell the senator’s version until her boss tells her to write it anyway. It is not about telling the public the truth; it is about selling newspapers. Redford symbolizes the general public hating war, but at the same time having hope in the generation of young people who could make a difference. Andrew Garfield plays the slacker kid who should be doing better and is clueless why an adult (Redford) would care about him. Michael Pena and Derek Luke play previous students of Redford’s who although of a minority race have such honor for the United States of America that they enlist with the army to uphold the freedom that they cherish that the general majority takes for granted.

One may think this movie is stereotyping, but I would like to suggest that this is a well written movie about what is really going on in America today. Most people do not want to admit this and will say the film is too political or is just stereotypical, and if it is. It does not matter because that is the appropriate way to write this film. People do not like to hear the truth, which is partly what this film is trying to get across. The last scene is a wonderful example as the student watched the news seeing a report of the entertainment world while the results of the war scroll at the bottom. What do we care about; what should we care about?

Similar recommended titles: The Manchurian Candidate, The Kingdom, Babel