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Released 6th November 2009
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Some stories seem dafter than fiction, even when they are based on fact, and this is one of them, inspired by Jon Ronson’s non-fiction best-seller of the same name. If we told you that the U.S. government trained a crack team to stare the hell out of animals to cause fatal coronaries (naturally, the next step being the enemy), or even walk through walls, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the writer was on a paranormal planet all of his own making. But the one thing this kooky, but real-life-based tale adapted by screenwriter Peter Straughan does is inspire “thinking outside of the box”, even for a couple of hours, because it is certifiably eccentric viewing with an undoubtedly fabulous cast to boot.
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George Clooney as alleged ‘Warrior Monk’ Lyn Cassady of a disbanded experimental US military unit of psychics, the New Earth Army, absolutely dominates every scene he’s in, outshining the other major players in an utterly outlandish and isolated world of surreal wartime activity that has obvious storyline parallels with a latter-day M*A*S*H. Clooney brings almost credible reasoning to an incredible tale, with Ewan McGregor as the tag-along journo, Bob Wilton, supplying the voice of logic for those sane-minded people out there. McGregor may have the dodgiest American accent going, but you can’t help jumping onboard his enthusiastic bandwagon as he sniffs out a really good yarn, after a drought of creativity. So begins a road movie of hilarious proportions, as Lyn and Bob take to the dusty Iraqi trails on a final mission to locate the missing New Earth Army founder, Bill Django, played by none other than Jeff Bridges - the only big-named Hollywood star qualified to play a wacko hippy with all sincerity and likeability. Throw in Kevin Spacey as the renegade psychic Larry Hooper with devious plans all of his own, and you have a really enjoyable set-up.
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The only snag with this near-perfect concept is the often subtle gags not only come thick and fast like a whirling desert sandstorm, but at times they are so clandestine in themselves that they can be missed in a heartbeat. So, whilst you fully appreciate the totally lunacy unfolding before you, you can miss the comical crux of the situations on first viewing that greatly effects the big-laugh expectations you might had have at the start. That said the initial enjoyment to be had from this film is the superb performances from its stars that have all been aptly cast.
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This refreshingly alternative war movie is more a journey of the mind that is comparative to its 1972 TV series as it leaves the big explosions and bravado to other war movies, and explores on the psychological side. Ronson’s book was destined to be made into an offbeat movie that could only be successful using a highly credible and smart cast, something it achieves, even if some of the gags disappear into the ether.
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By Lisa Keddie
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Synopsis
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Reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady (Clooney) who claims to be part of “The New Earth Army”, an experimental US Army unit. According to Cassady, a legion of psychic warriors with unparalleled powers can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Now, the program’s founder, Bill Django (Bridges), has gone missing and Cassady’s mission is to find him. Intrigued by his new acquaintance’s far-fetched stories, Bob impulsively decides to accompany him on the search.
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Film Facts
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Official site: http://www.lovefilm.com/micro/themenwhostareatgoats.html
UK Release Date: 6th November 2009
Director: Grant Heslov
Writers: Peter Straughan, Jon Ronson (book)
Cast: George Clooney (‘Lyn Cassady’), Ewan McGregor (‘Bob Wilton’), Jeff Bridges (‘Bill Django’), Kevin Spacey (‘Larry Hooper’), Stephen Lang (‘Brigadier General Dean Hopgood’), Robert Patrick (‘Todd Nixon’), Rebecca Mader (‘Debora Wilton’)
Distributor: Momentum Pictures
Certificate: 15
Run-time: 95 mins
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Video on Real.com
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Trailer:
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CLIP:
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