The Men Who Stare At Goats
George Clooney stars in The Men Who Stare At Goats
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By Matthew Champion. |  |
Thursday, 15, Oct 2009 11:41
Showing at the London Film Festival on October 15th (19:00) and October 18th (15:15)
On general release November 6th.
By Lewis Bazley.
Based on Jon Ronson's bestselling non-fiction account of a secret US military unit concerned with the use of psychic and new age techniques in modern warfare, this comedic effort is an assured if insubstantial feature directorial debut from actor/writer/producer Grant Heslov.
With a screenplay from British writer Peter Straughan (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People), it's smart enough to keep its tongue firmly in cheek during a gleefully ridiculous tale of a down-at-heel reporter's (Ewan McGregor) attempt to make something of his self while uncovering a truly incredible story. An opening disclaimer informs the viewer: "More of this is true than you would believe" but while some darkness filters into the pacey script through a brief mention of sinister interrogation and intelligence techniques, it's by and large a film that knows its greatest strength is in its absurdity.
George Clooney, in one of three appearances at this year's London Film Festival, does hilarious work, giving his all as Special Forces operator - and former member of the so-called 'New Earth Army' - Lyn Cassady. Though hints of the mania of his Burn After Reading character Harry Pfarrer are apparent, much of the comedy of Cassady comes in his unfailing adherence to the questionable psychic dictums of the founder of the 'warrior monk' squad, Bill Django (a wonderfully mad Jeff Bridges). Though McGregor's mid-Atlantic twang grates a little through the narrative necessity of his voiceover, Heslov and Straughan do well to keep the film zipping along, speedily enough for audiences to forgive its limitations.
With an even weaker central plotline than Straughan's How to Lose Friends. script (another non-fiction source), The Men Who Stare At Goats is at heart a string of comic vignettes highlighting a cover-up both astonishing and laughable in its insanity. But, to the filmmakers' credit - and succeeding in a way that How to Lose Friends... never really did - it also never tries to exceeds its shortcomings. Nods to childhood trauma or relationship crises are treated with brevity - McGregor's wife leaves him for a one-armed man - and much of the script revels in keeping an off-kilter, Coen Brothers feel to much of the dialogue.
With enthusiastic performances - Kevin Spacey is also gloriously silly as the sneering villain of the piece - some fine use of flashback from Heslov and a commendably high laugh count, it's a consistently amusing effort that proves war isn't hell - it's mindless.