Quirky killings

There are movies about soldiers, and there are movies about hippies. And then there’s The Men Who Stare at Goats, which combines the two archetypal plots to create modern Jedi warriors. And yes, the movie is just as quirky as the title.

We start off with journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor, Angels and Demons), who, experiencing a midlife crisis after being dumped by his wife, decides to do something crazy for once and cover the war in Iraq. It is there that he encounters Lyn Cassady (George Clooney, Burn After Reading), a former member of the now-defunct New Earth Army and self-proclaimed Jedi warrior.

The unit, also known as the First Earth Battalion, was a project the U.S. Army created to harness psychic abilities. Cassaday was the battalion’s best, and his abilities included the power to locate people around the world and stop a goat’s heart with his mind.

Wilton, after realizing the potential for a story, follows Cassady on his mission in Iraq, where one mishap seems to lead into the next. McGregor narrates throughout the film and is particularly helpful in telling the story of the battalion’s members through flashbacks that resonate in their present-day adventures.

In these flashbacks, Lyn and another soldier named Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey, 21) complete various missions and exercises under the command of Bill Django (Jeff Bridges, Iron Man).

Just like in the Star Wars series, there are people who are clearly on the dark side and the light side. Cassady is constantly battling with these forces both within himself and in the world, which makes for a troubled and thoughtful character. 

There are even Darth Vader and Yoda-like characters in Hooper and Django, respectively. From its inspired beginnings to its tragic end, the flashback story of the First Earth Battalion is certainly interesting and, at times, absolutely hilarious.

Having its absurd, over-the-top humor spread throughout the entire film had the potential to be hokey and repetitive, but every joke seems fresh with veterans like Clooney and Spacey delivering the lines. The comedy is at its best when mixed in with a look at each man’s psyche. While on LSD, Hooper puts his gun in his mouth for a moment, his face showing a horrible look of fear, and then says, “Wow, I’m really hungry,” and runs off.
Cassady and Wilton’s story pales in comparison to the adventures of the First Earth Battalion, as their storyline suffers from a lack of focus. Simply put, newcomer director Grant Heslov just tried to do too much.

Although McGregor plays well with Clooney’s weirdness, this is not enough to keep their storyline as enticing as watching a bunch of Jedi warriors play with their abilities in the flashbacks.

It’s when these two storylines clash together in the final act — causing the characters’ underlying motivations and emotions to really emerge — that the audience gets a real look at the movie’s point. After rustling through overdone themes like politics and war, The Men Who Stare at Goats finds its heart by showcasing Cassady’s demons and Wilton’s lost boy mentality.

Watching these two work through their inner turmoil is the emotional highlight of the film, as Clooney sells his dark side/light side battle with believable sincerity. You can hear the pain in his voice when he stumbles upon a human experiment and proclaims it “the dark side.”

Anyone coming to see this film already knows it’s going to be funny from its title and ridiculous trailers.  And if you are a Star Wars fan, watching this will give you hope in your own ability to use the force. Perhaps one day, we will have psychic abilities too.

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RATING: 3.5 stars out of 5