The Men Who Stare At Goats
Aptly described as a ‘feel-good war movie’, it charts some of the more bizarre elements of the US military as they experimented with new-age techniques.

Long-time actor, writer and producer Grant Heslov helms his first major feature film; an adaptation of the bestselling book The Men Who Stare At Goats, originally penned by writer and journalist Jon Ronson. Aptly described as a ‘feel-good war movie’, the film charts some of the more bizarre elements of the US military as they experimented with new-age techniques in order to improve themselves and the US army. One particular unit, The New Earth Battalion claimed all kinds of powers, notably in the more talented amongst them; the ability to stop the heart of a goat by simply staring at one. A hilarious and cinematic jumping-off point that has resulted in a warm-hearted enjoyable film from an original text that, whilst enjoyable and often comedic, was far darker in tone.

Ronson’s book is a true account of his experiences with former members of this unit and some of the people associated with it. His witty scepticism is hugely enjoyable to read, even providing laugh-out-loud moments. Ronson seeks to link some of the techniques developed by these largely harmless people with the hideous catastrophe at the Waco siege, tactics at Guantanamo Bay and the universally-condemned, torturous behaviour by American troops at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Serious business, and themes virtually all missing in the film adaptation, although not necessarily to its detriment. The Men Who Stare At Goats is a warm film that gently pokes fun at some of the bizarre and ludicrous beliefs held by a disturbing number of people at the heart of the US military industrial complex. However, it does not seek to go further than to hint at how some of this behaviour resulted in some of America’s darkest moments over the last ten years. If it had then it would have been an altogether different film and the humour would likely have seemed misplaced.

Waco, Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib – these chapters in American history are still open and it’s clear that Hollywood is not ready to deal with them; least of all through comedy. It is surprising that The Men Who Stare At Goats, as it stands, was successfully developed for the screen given how ‘raw’ America and the international community is post-Bush and the last seemingly endless years of war. For Hollywood, this may be the first step on the road to dealing with some of the bigger issues at the heat of the problems here and if so, it is a worthy step. Time will tell.

George Clooney is on excellent form, successfully straddling the physical comedy as well as some of the more dramatic moments. Ewan McGregor’s performance seems somewhat bland and distant and he again struggles embarrassingly with the American accent. It is Jeff Bridges, however, who steals the show. Clearly channelling The Dude, he is the perfect hippie soldier; his physically gruff appearance and sheer size only adding to the comedy. Perfect casting.

Although not a serious analysis of all that has gone wrong with the US Military these last 30 years or so, The Men Who Stare At Goats is an extremely affable look at one particularly odd chapter. It flies along at a very satisfying pace and with some excellent music cues and strong performances, it is extremely hard not to like.