Film Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats

Review of: The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Film:: Grant Heslov

Reviewed by: David M. Brown

Rating:: 4

On May 21, 2013Last modified:May 21, 2013

Summary:

The Men Who Stare At Goats is an amusing war film with a very peculiar alternative approach to combat which will raise smiles, especially Clooney’s dancing, moustache and long hair!

More DetailsAbout The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)Kevin Spacey, George Clooney and Ewan McGregor star in this war spoof based on the non-fiction book by Jon Ronson. With a freshly-failed marriage behind him, rookie reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) decides to lose himself in the romance of war by travelling to Iraq to report from the front line. Bob gets more than he bargains for when he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), a ‘psychic’ special forces agent who reveals the existence of a secret, New Age-influenced military unit whose goal is to put an end to war by using mind control techniques, peace and love as taught in Vietnam in the early 1970s by ‘New Earth Army’ founder Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). When Bob and Lyn set out together across the Kuwait border into Iraq, they get kidnapped and end up in a secret desert training camp run by Django’s treacherous former student Larry Hooper (Spacey), who is running a lab of bizarre paranormal experiments aided by his former mentor, now a spaced-out alcoholic.

Starring: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges

Directed by: Grant Heslov

Runtime: 94 minutes

Studio: Overture Films/Anchor Bay Entertainment

Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB

Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats

Grant Heslov’s comedy war film follows the story of Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) whose marriage falls apart at the outset so he decides to head for Iraq in search of a story. Stuck in Kuwait, Bob meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) formerly of a unique branch of the US army that was trained in psychic abilities to become Jedi warriors. This strange digression from the army is told through a series of stories based around Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) who fought in Vietnam and spearheaded a new form of fighting, one involving the power of the mind rather than firing a gun. Having paired up with Lyn, Bob heads into Iraq in search of his story but what are Lyn’s reasons for being there?

Deep in Iraq, Bob and Lyn have to contend with barren deserts and unwelcoming locals. Their adventures see them taken hostage, being in the midst of shootouts and Lyn demonstrating many of his abilities such as being able to move clouds with his mind and a highly amusing technique he demonstrates on Bob which involves looking at him in a peculiar way. There’s even time for Kevin Spacey to make an appearance as a fellow student of Django who trained alongside Lyn but couldn’t match up to his peer in terms of natural psyhic ability. What about those goats you must be wondering. Well, they’re involved at some point. I just don’t want to talk about it.

I had no idea what this film was about before starting but it was nothing like I imagined. In many ways it’s quite silly but it’s also a real hoot. Clooney and McGregor make a great team with Clooney once again impressing me with another dominant performance. Bridges and Spacey are welcome additions though Spacey is somewhat underused while Bridges’ appearances reminded me of the Dude in The Big Lebowski which is obviously a good thing. This is entertaining and funny, one of those films where not a lot happens, but that won’t bother you given how much you’ll be laughing.

The Men Who Stare At Goats is an amusing war film with a very peculiar alternative approach to combat which will raise smiles, especially Clooney’s dancing, moustache and long hair! A good cast and humorous script keep this moving along well and although it’s not the most eventful film I’ve ever seen, it’s certainly memorable.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

About the Author:

I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.

David M. Brown – who has written 672 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.

• • • • •