Watch The Men Who Stare at Goats Online

Genre: Comedy | War
32 votes
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IMDB Review
Release: 6 November 2009

Directed by Grant Heslov, The Men who Stare at Goats is an American comedy film based on a book by the same name by author Jon Ronson. As the title suggests, the movie portrays training up “Jedis” who are able to fell goats just by staring at them. The film portrays a reporter Bob Wilton played by Ewan McGregor, who indulges in a world of US military force during the Iraq War. The film is produced by Smoke House and BBC Productions and the cast includes George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, and Jeff Bridges star. Bob Wilton is a frustrated Michigan journalist who is search of adventure travels to Middle East in 2003.

In the movie we see Bob Wilton as a young, not very promising reporter from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who agrees to do the coverage of the Iraq War. In Kuwait he meets Lyn Cassady played by George Clooney, who is a former New Earth Army member. New Earth Army is a secret branch of the US military who are trained to use paranormal powers against the country’s enemies. The movie takes the audience to a flashback in the year 1972 in Vietnam, where we see Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) as the founder of the New Earth Army, the unit of which is especially trained to dance, express their feelings and it all hang out. The psychic abilities of Lyn attract the envy of Larry Hooper played by Kevin Spacey. He is a newcomer to the Army.

The flashback proceeds to the year 2003 where reporter Bob and psychic Lyn heads to Kuwait border into Iraq. As they reach Kuwait, they are kidnapped and sold to another group takes them to a secret training camp in the desert. Here they encounter Hooper who is laboratory with his former boss Django.

The biggest disadvantage of the movie is the lack of a distinct plot. In a way the movie is quite a road movie without a substantial plot to attract the interests of the audiences. Not every audience will connect themselves to the storyline of the film, but the people who do it will really get involved with the plot. Every character in the film has done justice to the game that the movie presents: Clooney has been capable of arousing interest as Lyn Cassady and McGregor too is at his best as the young reporter who gets the biggest opportunity to cover the Iraq War.

The audience expected the movie to be a surreal display of the US military’s research into psychic new age warfare and attempts to apply them in its war from Vietnam to Iraq. The film though funny at times, satisfies the audience with its cast. The movie is quite unusual and funny introduction to the secret happenings of the US military. Though The Men who Stare at Goats Movie Review cannot be said to be a must-see film, it would quite appeal to audiences who are looking for a movie that’s something different and off the beaten path.