The Men Who Stare at Goats
Film Review
Paul Sawchuk
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges. With such an all-star cast in top form, The Men Who Stare At Goats delivers laughs from everybody but more than that, they make you think. Putting abnormal beliefs against the current Iraq war, the film doesn't so much question why the American army is stationed in Iraq, as it questions some of the tactics the army is using.
Bob Wilton (McGregor) is a failure; he writes paltry articles for a local newspaper and his girlfriend has just left him for his editor. Heartbroken, he ventures to Iraq, but without a story can only make it to Kuwait. There he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney) who he discovers was part of a psychic branch of the military and currently on a mission in Iraq. Intrigued by a way out, Wilton follows Cassady on a journey through Iraq where the history of his division is told, and eventually to an encounter with the new psychic warfare division, led by Larry Hooper (Spacey). Hooper was responsible for folding the original operation and has now made the operation scientific, utilizing tools like subliminal messaging and torture using LSD. Lyn is heartbroken as his beliefs are shaken and he is told that the new age is clearly using psychological techniques as opposed to psychic warfare.
Enjoyable and thought provoking, the disclaimer at the opening, stating "more of this is true than what you might imagine" changes the way you are supposed to look at these events. Is it audacious that the American government really funded this sort of operation? As ridiculous these operations are, the legitimacy of psychic warfare is irrelevant compared to how strongly Cassady believes in it.
The film gains most of its momentum as a road movie, with Wilton and Cassady journeying through Iraq and eventually leading to the final confrontations. Some of the geography is quite stunning, such as the Iraqi desert and a montage to the films theme song, Boston's "More Than A Feeling" across several landscapes. The Men Who Stare At Goats is funny, but its comedy doesn't cause one to laugh out loud but deliver a light chuckle amidst a surprisingly heartfelt narrative.
-Paul Sawchuk
Bob Wilton (McGregor) is a failure; he writes paltry articles for a local newspaper and his girlfriend has just left him for his editor. Heartbroken, he ventures to Iraq, but without a story can only make it to Kuwait. There he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney) who he discovers was part of a psychic branch of the military and currently on a mission in Iraq. Intrigued by a way out, Wilton follows Cassady on a journey through Iraq where the history of his division is told, and eventually to an encounter with the new psychic warfare division, led by Larry Hooper (Spacey). Hooper was responsible for folding the original operation and has now made the operation scientific, utilizing tools like subliminal messaging and torture using LSD. Lyn is heartbroken as his beliefs are shaken and he is told that the new age is clearly using psychological techniques as opposed to psychic warfare.
Enjoyable and thought provoking, the disclaimer at the opening, stating "more of this is true than what you might imagine" changes the way you are supposed to look at these events. Is it audacious that the American government really funded this sort of operation? As ridiculous these operations are, the legitimacy of psychic warfare is irrelevant compared to how strongly Cassady believes in it.
The film gains most of its momentum as a road movie, with Wilton and Cassady journeying through Iraq and eventually leading to the final confrontations. Some of the geography is quite stunning, such as the Iraqi desert and a montage to the films theme song, Boston's "More Than A Feeling" across several landscapes. The Men Who Stare At Goats is funny, but its comedy doesn't cause one to laugh out loud but deliver a light chuckle amidst a surprisingly heartfelt narrative.
-Paul Sawchuk
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