The movie is based on the non-fictional book of the same name by author Ron Johnson. The plot is based on the creation of the Psychic forces unit in the US military. This dark comedy follows the techniques developed by the unit and the exploits of its personnel.

The Gist:

As a result of the war in Vietnam, the US military found itself highly discouraged. So much so that they funded a veteran from the war, Bill Djando (Jeff Bridges), to go on a mission to develop alternative fighting techniques. Bill decided to use the funds and conduct his research by attending naked group hot tub gatherings, yoga sessions and drugs.

When he returned he had prepared, and this part is true, a manual providing instructions on the alternative fighting techniques. These involved going through walls, greeting the enemy with ‘sparkling’ eyes and banning the use of clichés.  What is perhaps even crazier is that the military authorized the creation of a Psychic unit.

The story is told through the adventures of reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor). After his wife leaves him for his editor, Bob attempts to win his wife back by going to the Middle East to cover the war. Along the way he runs into a Psychic forces operator, Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). Many of the insights into the Psychic unit are made through the interactions of Bob and Lyn.

Separating Fact from Fiction:

After I had watched the movie, I had thought that perhaps the movie’s claims of truth may have been a little far fetched. I decided to watch the book’s documentary, Crazy Rulers of the World. Surprisingly, I realized it is only the setting of the movie that is fictional. The content of the movie that includes the behaviours, beliefs, techniques and even the dialogues for the most part are true. To get a feel of just how absurd the truth is, much of the movie’s dialogue is taken word by word from the interviews in the documentary. It is true that a ranking military officer would attempt to go through a wall only to bump his face on it. It is also true that military personnel attempted to kill goats just by staring at them.

The movie also makes the viewer believe that the psychics were accurate in their remote viewing and were in fact able to kill goats just by staring at them. Although the people interviewed in the documentary make the same claims, there is lack of sound evidence.

Make Believe:

With many big names involved in the movie, the overall acting is outstanding. Jeff Bridges does a great job of playing the drugged up leader of the Psychic units. It was also pleasing to see Kevin Spacey do a great job competing with George Clooney to become the best psychic soldier. But it is George Clooney who steals the show in an all star cast. As a psychic soldier, his wild beliefs and behaviours will make the viewers laugh. But later on his convincing performance shows a man that is severely disillusioned in his twisted realm of possibility and make-believe.   

Crazy Rulers of the World

The one big problem I have with the movie is that it only covers a third of the documentary and the book. The latter two mediums follow the evolution of the psychic unit to torture techniques and explore its dark consequences. The movie on the other hand makes a brief link to the unit and torture. That is why I recommend watching the documentary Crazy Rulers of the World after you have watched the movie.

Final Word: In the start the absurdity of this dark comedy made me laugh. As the movie went on and I started to realize that this is supposed to be true, it started to become slightly frightening. The fictional setting of the movie makes it entertaining and allows the movie to tie the contents together. If you have not yet read the book or watched the documentary, this will be nothing like you have seen before.

Genre: Dark Comedy

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges

Director: Grant Heslov

Studio: Overture

Canadian Studio: Maple Pictures Canada