The Men Who Stare At Goats is a black comedy about psychic soldiers.
The men in question are trained in special, New Age war techniques, and work at reading minds and making themselves invisible to better thwart the enemy.
They ask the question, "How could peace and love help win wars?"
When the answers are not forthcoming, they drop acid.
The Men Who Stare At Goats moves back and forth in time, but begins in Michigan with Ewan McGregor, here playing a reporter. He's heard about a group of soldiers who operated back in the 1980s in a special psychic unit; later, when he winds up in Iraq, he encounters one of these mystery men who called themselves Jedi Warriors.
He meets the famed Lyn Cassidy (George Clooney), and they go off together across Iraq on a sort of chatty road trip.
Cassidy gives the history of his unit, starting with the experiences of Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), their leader.
Django is a Vietnam vet who explores alternative army methods.
He attempts to get his men to practice 'remote viewing', running through walls or stopping the hearts of goats just by staring at them.
He writes a New Earth Army manual, which every one of his soldiers must read.
But it's not all group hugs and spoon-bending fun. As Clooney's character tells his tales of the past, there proves to be a fly in the ointment and his name is Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey).
Hooper is competitive and ambitious, and before long his attitude has spoiled the atmosphere for everyone else in the New Earth army.
3.5 out of 5
