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Men Who Stare At Goats: Special Edition (The)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Anchor Bay Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (26th March 2010). |
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The Film
 George Clooney somehow managed to slowly become one of my favorite actors working today, and he may be one of the most important in Hollywood right now. After a few recurring roles on television, he snagged a star-making spot as a doctor on NBC’s long-running medical drama, “ER” (1994-2009). Sensing that he may have the ability to expand his star to greater heights, he embarked on a mission to become a movie star. And, at first, things really didn’t work out so well. But after he failed miserably in the film often cited as one of the worst in history, “Batman & Robin” (1997), he did an about-face and started taking on more serious, character-driven roles, such as 1998’s overlooked “Out of Sight”. Since then, Clooney has made a Hollywood career less out of box office numbers and high-profile gigs, and more on the smaller-scale films which achieve minor success but feature some fantastic, critically-acclaimed performances. One of his latest, “The Men Who Stare At Goats” (2009), is no exception to that rule, although it wasn’t quite as praise-worthy as some of his other eccentric roles. Clooney plays alongside Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and recent Oscar winner Jeff Bridges in a film that would be easily dismissed outright if it weren’t for one key factor: it’s a true story. Well, most of it is, anyways. Events which occur in the present are largely fiction, but according to Jim Channon, who headed up the actual division of the Army seen in the film, the majority of the flashback footage is authentic. That fact makes the film a far more compelling watch because, for me at least, I love to see what lengths our military will go to ensure we aren’t one-upped by any other world superpowers. The fact that the United States military would actually train soldiers to harness their psychic abilities for use against the enemy is astounding in its hilarity. “The Men Who Stare At Goats”, based off of the novel of the same name, which was written by Jon Ronson, looks at how the U.S. government allowed the creation and implementation of a New Earth Army to train soldiers in developing a set of paranormal skills to be used in battle during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. These “Jedi Warriors” (as they were referred to) were trained by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges, channeling “The Dude” in many ways), a pacifist who sampled many of the New Age movements of the ‘70s before arriving at his position as head instructor. Training in the academy were two of his most gifted students, Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) and Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey). Lyn was the standout that Larry was always jealous of, so when an incident occurred that put a blemish on the training facilities, Larry took the opportunity to see it disbanded. Cut to present day, and Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), a journalist hoping to find some meaning in his life, flies to Iraq and has a chance encounter with Lyn, who fills him in on all the details of the “Jedi Warriors” and their now-defunct academy. I attempted to think of a succinct way to summarize the film’s plot, but the problem is that it doesn’t exactly have one. That would have to be my biggest gripe. This isn’t so much a narrative, linear piece as much as it’s an assembly of scenes which clue us in on our military’s unorthodox methods in one-upping our rivals. The most interesting aspects of the story are the flashbacks which showcase the methods and training our troops went through in an attempt to get them to accomplish inane tasks, such as stopping a goat’s heart or walking through a solid wall. I love films which take a look at unusual military tactics; those that try to put a bizarre, humorous spin on the brutality of war. I think the most stunning example is Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964), although this film is far less darkly comedic. The main difference, though, is that much of the events which take place here are real, and that’s what keeps it afloat. Well, that and the fantastic casting. I have to hand it to director Grant Heslov (who many will remember as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Arnold’s partner in “True Lies” (1994)) for assembling such a solid cast of actors for this script. I don’t know who signed on first, but I’m sure the lure of any one of the main leads assisted in attracting the others. George Clooney, as I stated before, tends to shine best in these quirky, eccentric roles he’s making a habit out of taking. I like that he doesn’t stick to making formulaic pictures; he likes to operate outside of the standard Hollywood box. He’s also one of the few actors working today who I feel really brings a touch of that old-school Hollywood class back to the big screen; he’s the Cary Grant of today, some might argue. And he’s teamed up with two other Oscar winners: Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. Both of whom are pitch-perfect in their roles as a tree-hugging eco-warrior and a snide prick with a chip on his shoulder, respectively. I swear, Bridges really IS "The Dude" from “The Big Lebowski” (1998) here, only a slightly more militarized version. Spacey, ever the smug prick in so many of his films, appears to be giddy at times when he plays his trump card and screws over so many characters in the film. Oh yeah, and Ewan McGregor’s here, too. I didn’t forget about him, but his character is easily the film’s weak link. He exists solely to provide the film with its barely-there plot. And, of course, the coincidental humor of him previously playing an actual Jedi Warrior in the “Star Wars” prequel films (1999-2005) was not lost on me. But, even if they weren’t playing up that fact in the film in an effort to elicit more laughs, it certainly got old.
Video
There isn’t much wrong with the film’s 2.35:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image, but there also isn’t a whole lot to be excited about. The opening shot does exhibit some great detail - just check out the beads of sweat on Stephen Lang’s face – and that detail does continue throughout the film. But the image never has much dimension to it; it’s rather flat more often than not. Colors have a tendency to appear blown-out and over-saturated, but the image does handle the more earthy tones of the desert better than I expected. A great deal of the film takes place in the hot desert sun, but the white levels never look too hot or overblown. Very little takes place in the dark, but shadow detail was a tad murky when it did. Overall, don’t expect to be impressed, but do expect a suitable image with a consistently pleasing look.
Audio
The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit may be technically proficient, but there’s not enough going on here to impress. Even though this may be a military film, there’s hardly any real action. Aside from a single explosion I can recall, the most activity your system is likely to get is when Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” kicks into high gear; and even that doesn’t exactly shake the house down. The dialogue is well-centered and perfectly clear and discernible. Surrounds are put to minimal use, but they do add some ambient cues during camera pans. Subtitles are available in English for the hearing impaired and Spanish.
Extras
We get a light offering in the way of bonus materials, and they’re even less exciting once you start pouring through them. Included are two audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, trailers and a digital copy. But, really, the only ones worth a damn are the second audio commentary track and the “Goats Declassified” featurette. The rest are mostly throwaway fluff. DISC ONE: First up is an audio commentary with director Grant Heslov, and unfortunately it’s a bit of a snoozer. While he may be able to provide more insight into the film than most, he spends an inordinate amount of time completely silent. We get a lot of the standard information on how shooting went at the various set locations, but he really doesn’t let loose with the kind of anecdotes and energetic personality that makes a commentary worth listening to. Although, I was happy to hear that he did address the humorous coincidence of Ewan McGregor being cast in a film rife with “Jedi Warrior” jokes. The second audio commentary track with author Jon Ronson, however, is far more engaging. Ronson is obviously having a great deal of fun musing on seeing his work turned into a feature film. He is able to offer some wonderful insight into the characters and situations due to high proximity to the source material and people. We learn a great deal about what is and isn’t part of reality. If you’re going to listen to a track for this release, this would be the one to go with. “Goats Declassified: The Real Men of the First Earth Battalion” (1080i) is a fascinating featurette. that runs 12 minutes 29 seconds which features interviews with the men who made up the real paranormal military group. Jim Channon, a Vietnam-era soldier, started the group as a means to expand the resources of the Army. He goes into great detail about what the directives of the group were, how they operated, and what aspects of their routines were seen in the film. It’s intriguing to listen to Channon and his former soldiers discuss the bizarre strategies that our military has employed throughout the years. “Project “ Hollywood ”: A Classified Report from the Set” (1080i) is a featurette which runs for 7 minutes and 31 seconds. This is a mostly standard behind-the-scenes piece; the actors discuss their respective roles, and some of the crew talks about what it was like working on the set, including difficulties working the titular goats. “Character Bios” (1080p) isn’t what you’d think it is. I figured it was some text-based notes on each character’s background, but it’s actually 4 specific clips, one for each of the film’s main leads. It runs for 4 minutes and 46 seconds. There is a reel of deleted scenes (1080p) that runs for 4 minutes and 14 seconds. Most are just minor extensions or alternate takes, nothing substantial. The film’s theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 2 minutes and 23 seconds. Finally, there are bonus trailers (1080p) for the following: - “The Crazies” runs for 2 minutes and 32 seconds. - “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” runs for 1 minute and 47 seconds. - “The Slammin’ Salmon” runs for 2 minutes and 27 seconds. - “Law Abiding Citizen” runs for 2 minutes and 26 seconds. - “Blu-Ray Reel” promo runs for 1 minute and 26 seconds. DISC TWO: The second disc contains a digital copy of the film for use with Windows Media devices.
Packaging
The 2-disc set comes in a standard amaray keepcase with each disc housed on either side of the interior.
Overall
A bizarre film with a bizarre title, held firmly together by the strength of its leads. It might not have much of a plot, but it tells some hilariously peculiar stories. The picture quality is unimpressive, but it looks completely solid. Audio isn’t quite as strong, and the extra features lack a bit.
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