Rating: 3/5
Verdict: Good fun, a good tale, but not a memorable satire.
There are some lovely moments and funny sequences in this wacky satire about the use of psychics within the American military, but The Men Who Stare at Goats never quite reaches its potential to be a laugh out loud film or a sharp political commentary.
A little like watching Ocean's Twelve or Ocean's Thirteen, you get the feeling George Clooney and co had a very good time making this film, based on an almost unbelievable non-fiction book by Jon Ronson. Unfortunately, it's likely they had more fun than is to be had watching it.
Ewan McGregor is Bob Wilton, a small-town journalist who decides the most romantic thing he can do when his wife runs off with his boss is to run off to war. Determined to make a name for himself as a war correspondent in Iraq he's finds himself stuck in Kuwait with no idea how to find his big story, until he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney).
Cassady claims to be an ex-member of the New Earth Army, a division of the US Army set up during the Vietnam War to explore the use of paranormal powers in combat.
Heading into Iraq on a mission Cassady agrees to take Bob along for the ride, revealing to him (and us in flashbacks) the history of this experimental unit and its "Jedi Warriors", including charismatic founder and leader Bill Django (Jeff Bridges).
Bob learns about the NEA's new age philosophical beliefs, and its studies into such things as invisibility, cloud bursting, walking through walls, and killing goats by staring at them. None of which Bob finds terribly useful as he and Cassady are kidnapped, blown up and shot by the locals as they wander the Iraqi desert.
Apart from McGregor, whose character is quite rightly confused and traumatised for the majority of the film, as far as acting goes The Men Who Stare at Goats is largely an exercise in deadpan. Clooney lets his 70s get-up and moustache do most of the work, Bridges easily convinces us he's a new-age hippie, and Kevin Spacey adds a nice twist as Larry Hooper, an ambitious psychic who goes bad.
The ending doesn't quite live up to how well the film began, and it fails to be anything other than a tongue-in-cheek farce that hints at the futility of the Iraq war.
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor
Director: Grant Heslov
Running time: 93 mins
Rating: M (Violence, Offensive Language & Drug Use)
