A loose adaptation of a book based on remarkable facts unearthed by journalist Jon Ronson, the opening credits of ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ is fast to point out that what takes place ‘is more true than you might think’. However instead of being a darkly scabrous insight into the more eccentric, macabre efforts of the US army, it’s more than happy to stay as a light, mildly amusing comedy – eschewing any direct political confrontation for slight whimsical surrealism. Whilst it’s all delightfully silly, more often than not the jokes miss the mark.
Ewan McGregor, (proving that he’s incapable of comfortably settling into a role whilst attempting to perfect an American accent) takes centre stage as Bob Wilton, a journalist who – after being dumped by his cheating girlfriend - attempts to restore some creditability to his life by covering the Iraq invasion. A chance run-in with Lyn Cassady (Clooney, tapping into his mode of zany slapstick that he perfected back in O’ Brother Where Art Thou), leads to Cassady exposing himself as a retired psychic spy, an ‘American Jedi’ trained under the tutelage of Commander Bill Django (Jeff Bridges in full-on ‘dude’ mode) to develop superpowers and use non-lethal psychic tactics to win wars. After being pushed further by Wilton, Gardner admits to being ‘reactivated’ for one last secret mission and asks the unwitting journalist to accompany him on the ride.
‘Goats’ is highly watchable and it’s a joy to watch Clooney, Bridges and Spacey clearly enjoying themselves but given the calibre of the source material, it should be far better than it actually is. What could have been a biting satire of the US military running amok, never goes in for the kill or even comes close to delivering a knock-out blow.
The original book was a deliriously wild ride that gave credence to the term that ‘the truth is always stranger than fiction’, somewhere deep inside ‘Goats’ is a savage pastiche scratching to get out, but whilst its nearest cousin ‘Three Kings’ tackled similar territories, it also contained a deeply powerful punch that leant weight to its situation. One wonders why director Grant Heslov has decided to play it so safe, given that there’s so much potential within the material to explore.
Although entertaining, the entire film feels likes it has ran out of steam far before the end credits roll, even with a spritely running time of 93 minutes. It should be a lot sharper and more well-rounded in scope, but due to a lack of weight within the storytelling department, ‘Goats’ feels slight, disposable and all too forgettable.
Jonny Dawson
