Directed by
Grant Heslov
92 minutes
Rated M
Reviewed by
Emma Flanagan
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Synopsis: Small-town journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) interviews a local Ann Arbor resident, a former US Army member, who has a slightly different world view to most. In passing, the interviewee claims to have been a member of a paranormal war unit called theNew Earth Army. This has significant repercussions when Bob’s journalist wife leaves him for their mutual editor, and Bob signs up for war correspondent duties in Iraq. In Iraq Bob meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), another oddball ex-member of this secret US Army unit, and thus begins Bob’s story of a lifetime – if only he can survive, in fact, if only he can work out just what the hell is going on.
The Men Who Stare At Goats begins with a voiceover, which is always an alarm bell, as my immediate thought is “what plot point are the filmmakers trying to tell you because they haven’t found a way to show you?” Thankfully, the film gets away with it, largely because the wacky tone of the story, told appropriately in non-linear style follows the opening title card which states that “more of this is true than you would believe.”And it is hard to believe at first that practical military men could even consider that paranormal activity exists, much less be used as a weapon. But when you see the logic put up by the proponent and first (and last) leader of the New Earth Army, it is easy to be persuaded that, if bombs don’t do the trick, we have to psych ‘em into submission.
That founder is Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), a man who was injured in Vietnam, at which point Django has his revelation that if you could use mind-power to conquer an enemy, you wouldn’t actually have to shoot them. He persuades his bosses back home that expenditure on paranormal research would be the best investment they could make and thus begins a bizarre series of training sessions.
The film is based on a 2004 book by British journalist Jon Ronson who discovered the American story and its roots in the “Peace and Love” era of the 1960s. But which parts of the story are actually true? That is what Wilton is trying to discover. And the more he looks, the more bizarre the whole thing gets. Wilton discovers the cold, hard reality of it all when he and Cassady, going undercover into Iraq as civilian contractors, are kidnapped by local criminals. He wonders whether Cassady ever had military service, or perhaps is simply and completely crazy.
I won’t tell you what happens, except to say that there is always an element of truth in each odd part of this film, which is why it holds up for its 92 minutes. McGregor is perfectly cast as the naive journo looking to prove himself to his estranged wife, whilst ever-charming Clooney convinces as the outsider who found his true vocation in a group of oddballs. Kevin Spacey does well as the jealous troublemaker, whose actions lead to a whole lot more than anyone might imagine. Good use of accompanying music including “More Than A Feeling” by Boston supports the tale.
The Men Who Stare At Goats is an absurdist anti-war comedy, comparable to Dr Strangelove (1964) or Catch 22 (1970) and a lot of fun.
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