Movie unsure of its identity

Rating: 5/10 (12 December 2010)

Like they say, the truth is stranger than fiction. There's a reason this movie is not invented wholly out of someone's imagination but is based on the Whole Earth movement of the military in the '70s and early '80s. After the failure of the US military in Vietnam, it's not surprising that the Pentagon would put everything on the table and look for alternative methods to improve its fighting abilities. Yes, using mind control and "remote viewing" and psychic abilities might seem unlikely, but given the zeitgeist and the general disillusion with how things were at that time, it's not completely implausible. The Internet did originate from the Pentagon so if you can poke your friends on Facebook, you can thank the military. Anyway, I found the backstory-told in flashback by milquetoast midwestern reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan MacGregor) more interesting than what was being done in the present with the information. The different non-traditional methods of warfare had been conceived by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) who had a revelation when he realized how much his men instinctively did not want to kill a fellow human being. His research was funded by the Pentagon and he traversed various counter-cultural groups during six years during the '70s, acquiring information which the Pentagon thought might be useful in fighting in a less traditional way.
Cut to the present and reporter Wilton arrives in Iraq and meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) who Wilton had heard of during the course of reporting a story. They set to complete Cassady's work as a contractor and after freeing themselves from some dicey situations in which they are able to use some non-traditional methods of fighting, they finally encounter Django, working for one of Cassady's rivals, Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey). Working for Hooper, Django has been co-opted in order to use his non-traditional methods to actually kill the enemy.
The plot at this point is quite weak. I found the last 35 minutes or so quite meandering and very unfocused. It seems director Grant Heslov (who also wrote the excellent "Good Night and Good Luck") wasn't sure whether he wanted a goofball comedic work or a road trip movie, or a film with tougher social commentary and ultimately he got none. The movie seems to peter out, to me. There definitely is a good film here, but this is not really it. George Clooney gives a dynamite performance, deadpanning such goofy responses that one can't help but grin. MacGregor's character is a bit bland to begin with but he certainly does not enliven him. One can't really blame his wife for leaving him. Kevin Spacey performs very well. Jeff Bridges has charisma to burn and his work here reminds me of the spacey Lebowski in the cult "Big Lebowski" film. He is an extremely talented actor and conveys well the not-frequently-portrayed character of a counter-culture soldier.
This is an enjoyable film-the script is quite good, the acting is solid, and the very fact that something similar to the events that happened in this movie occurred is amazing. However, the film ultimately tries to be too many things at once and fails.