Misses the Mark

Rating: 6/10 (7 August 2011)

A reporter in Iraq meets an Army specialist who comes from a crack unit that uses paranormal powers to subdue enemies...and goats. The premise sounds promising but the film fails to mine the situation for its comic potential. It would have been interesting to see what the Coen Brothers could have done with it. Alas, the man behind the camera is a TV actor making his film debut as director. Clooney excels at this sort of farce and his deadpan performance here is spot on, but he's just not given much to work with. Everything seems to be in place for a hilarious spoof, but the script is disjointed and there just aren't enough laughs. A good cast is wasted.