London,

The Men Who Stare At Goats

Your rating

Click on a star to rate

Cert: 15

Derek Malcolm's rating
Reader rating
 Add your review

Dir: Grant Heslov. Cast: Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, George Clooney, Robert Patrick, Stephen Root, Stephen Lang

 

Description: Reporter Bob Wilton is embedded in Iraq during the early years of the invasion, scrabbling around for a story. By chance, he encounters oddball Lyn Cassady, who makes outlandish claims about being part of the so-called New Earth Army - an experimental US military unit dedicated to the art of mental warfare. Lyn regales Bob with tall tales of his escapades, including how he once killed a goat by staring down the cloven-hoofed beast.

Country: US. 2009. 93mins

• 
• 
• 
• 

Clooney's barmy army in The Men Who Stare At Goats

 

Psychic warrior: George Clooney plays a member of a secret US Army unit that tries to harness paranormal powers

A caption seen early on in The Men Who Stare at Goats proclaims that truth is often stranger than fiction. But this comedy, taken from Jon Ronson’s non-fiction book about the US Army’s attempt to use paranormal powers, doesn’t quite cut it as far as that statement goes.

Made by the same duo who were responsible for the excellent Good Night and Good Luck — this time with George Clooney in the lead part and writer Grant Heslov bowing as director — it is funny in patches but puny as a whole.

There is, however, a good cast and a disrespectful tone that chimes in with our cynicism about the military’s efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bob (Ewan McGregor) is an unhappily divorced reporter from Michigan who signs up to cover the Iraq war. He only gets as far as Kuwait City, where he meets Lyn (Clooney), who was once part of a select army team called the Jedi (get the joke?), an elite band of psychic spies.

As the action flashes back to the Vietnam war, we also meet Bill (Jeff Bridges), founder of the New Earth Army, who were trained to express their feelings and dance about. He is now a drunk, kicked about by Larry (Kevin Spacey), an ambitious newcomer to psychic games.

Back in the present, Bob and Lyn set off from Kuwait for Iraq, where they are immediately kidnapped. They end up in a secret training camp in the middle of the desert where Larry is running an experimental laboratory. There, the goats of the title seem rather brighter than the humans who stare at them hoping they’ll die.

Echoing Ronson, a character says that “the dark side took the dream and twisted it”. Lyn blames it all on a curse he acquired while ogling a goat.

We blame it all on the US military’s absurdity — eventually, its commanders discovered that unmanned drones were the better option. Despite stylish playing from Clooney and co, and some sharp moments — did we know that a huge percentage of American soldiers deliberately aim high in battle not wanting to kill anyone? — Heslov’s shapeless direction renders the story fractured and bitty.

While I’m sure that truth is indeed even stranger than this fiction, there is little here to drum that fact home with conviction. Dr Strangelove it is not, by a very long way.

Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.

What's on today   What's on tomorrow