5.06.2008

What It Means to Take An Action; A Review of "Lions for Lambs"

I recently think of the meaning of taking an action. We can see many sad and considerable incidents in our daily lives. In order to stop or change the situation, it is important to start something we can do... but is it enough to do anything we are JUST able to do? For me, I tend to excuse myself to say "hey, this is very important issue so I need to take in consideration in depth at first", and as a result, I do not do anything.



Human rights, Environment problems, Aging society, and the like. I have a little money and time, then I feel and understand I should act something to solve these. I believe that is my understanding to take my responsibility.



I watched an US movie called "Lions for Lambs". The Japanese title of this movie is "The Great Intrigue"... sorry to make an digression, I disagree of this title at all. I think this is a matter of sense and intelligent to catch the message or I would say, philosophy of this movie. The marketing team of this movie on Japanese side sometimes mislead the message with putting wrong titles. Having a word like "Great" sounds very cheap and I felt "okay, they just see this movie as unpopular among majority".



Anyway, the movie is very short like 90 minutes and I was like "oh is it the end?" After seeing this movie, I was in depression a little. A journalist (Meryl Streep) got some information from a Senator (Tom Cruise). The relationship between them seemed realistic. A professor (Robert Redford) tried to let his intelligent student look at his potential power to start something. His other two students joined the war on terror under the name of "what we can do" to solve problems.

To change the world, it is actually important to make an action. Ignorance, being indifferent, talk only with nihilism can create almost nothing in a sense. However, a strong will is not enough as well. Some "lambs" use it to make their purpose come true. It is important to understand how society works and start to take in consideration how to make an action, and this is very tough to come to conclusion. The movie asks the audience's decision what to do. The student's face in a last scene is just as same as the audience's face.