A film about engagement that fails utterly to engage? This may, in itself, be some kind of achievement, but who gives a stuff. I may now be even less engaged than I've ever been.

The absence of activists in the streets protesting the war in Iraq continues to confound; the empty seats at theaters showing Lions for Lambs will be somewhat easier to explain.

Less a war drama than a set of dueling position papers.

Strong acting and sharply scripted characters are unable to disguise Redford's opinionated brand of current events, which often teeters dangerously close to Army recruitment.