BEFORE: I couldn't resist making the connection between lambs and goats...and it helps that both films take place during war in Iraq. The point of last night's film seemed to be that our military commanding officers don't know what they're doing, and I think this dark comedy (?) continues that theme.
THE PLOT: A reporter in Iraq meets Lyn Cassady, who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's New Earth Army, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
AFTER: This is a film that sort of defies rating, or even interpretation for that matter. It's not really funny enough to be a comedy, and it sure doesn't seem like it wants to be taken seriously - this is where the "dark comedy" label comes in. (I'd say "black comedy", but then it sounds like it stars Chris Rock or Richard Pryor...)
The film centers on a reporter, played by Ewan MacGregor (last seen in "Being Human") and his attempts to find a story during the war in Iraq (the first one, or the second one? not sure...) and gets involved with a strange undercover military man, Lyn Cassaday, played by George Clooney (last seen in "The Perfect Storm"). Through flashbacks, we see the development of Cassaday's unit, which seems to focus on the use of various psychic powers, and draws its inspiration from Eastern philosophy, martial arts, yoga, modern dance, California stoner mentality, and the "Star Wars" saga.
The members refer to themselves as Jedi, and seeing Ewan MacGregor learn the ways of the Jedi (again) was a huge inside joke - he's Obi-Wan Kenobi! He already knows how to use the force, and do Jedi mind tricks! And like the Jedi, the ways of the New Earth Army are filled with contradictions - like fighting for peace, or using non-violent hand-to-hand combat.
Another inside joke was including Jeff Bridges (last seen in "Tucker: The Man and His Dream") as the founder of the New Earth Army - who spent six years getting stoned on the army's dime, researching this new method of "combat". It's like he was playing The Dude from "The Big Lebowski" all over again (what, no bowling as part of their training?).
As for the goat in the title, a character supposedly develops the power to stop a goat's heart, by staring at it. But I've seen the footage on TV and the internet of the very real "fainting goats" - so I wasn't really impressed by the sight of a goat falling over "dead".
The movie states that "more of this is true than you'd believe" - but I don't know about that. I get the feeling that there are a lot of absurdities involved with military service, but this seems beyond the pale. I'm hesitant to take any part of this seriously - but who knows? Maybe the truth is even stranger...
As I've stated before, unless there's a really really good reason to tell your film's story out of order, I would much prefer that events transpire in the proper order. Excessive use of flashback or jumping around in time (unless time-travel is part of the plot) is often an indicator that the linear narrative is not very strong.
Also starring Kevin Spacey (last seen in "The Negotiator"), Robert Patrick (last seen in "Firewall"), and Stephen Root (last heard in "Tripping the Rift: The Movie")
RATING: 5 out of 10 acid trips
No comments:
Post a Comment