Stars: George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Robert Patrick, Stephen Root, Stephen Lang, Rebecca Mader
Running time: 95 mins
Rating: ★★★★

A MILITARY man runs across the room at full speed, coming to an abrupt and probably painful stop as he crashes into the wall at the other side. He expects to keep going and pass through the wall after psyching himself up for that to happen.

“More of this is truer than you’ll believe” says the opening caption of North-East writer Peter Straughan’s adaptation of Jon Ronson’s book about a top secret plan by the US military to use psychic powers against the enemy. The idea is to train minds to read the enemy’s thoughts, make themselves invisible and kill a goat by staring at it.

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You have only to see a man attempt to stare a hamster to death to find humour and horror in the same scene. Remember though: don’t try this at home.

Ewan McGregor is US reporter Bob Wilton who uncovers the story he thinks will make him famous after meeting Lynn Cassady (George Clooney). He claims to be part of an experimental US military unit known as the New Earth Army which has “warrior monks” using thoughts as weapons. Problem is the programme’s founder Bill Django (a laid-back Jeff Bridges in full hippy mode) has gone missing and Cassady’s on a mission to find him.

Wilton tags along, sniffing a good story in the making. The trail leads them to a training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey). The cast play it dead straight – although you may be unable to resist chuckling at the sight of Clooney staring a goat to death – making it all the more amusing.