Off beat but not unenjoyable comedy/drama

Rating: 7/10 (28 June 2010)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
When his personal life takes a knock, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) goes off to become a reporter in Iraq, as the war takes off in 2003. Whilst there, he crosses paths with Lyn Cassidy (George Clooney), a former soldier himself who tells him about a man in the Vietnam war called Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), a free spirit who showed the best way to defeat the enemy is with the mind. From here, we follow the adventures of the two men applying this philosophy to modern war, until their encounter with disciplinarian commanding officer Hooper (Kevin Spacey) who's determined to have his way or the high way.
The title alone should give some indication of this film being aimed at a particular type of audience, those that prefer the quirkier, more off beat type of film, and the typical type of cast that would go with it. As such, it's an occasionally funny, relatively well made piece that is refreshingly brief and so doesn't become too self indulgent or wavey. It's none of the cast's finest hour, and they've surely done this type of thing better somewhere else before, but it's a distracting and subversive enough piece, that will probably find a cult audience with some. ***