Based on Jon Ronson’s Crazy Rulers of the World: The Men Who Stare at Goats (Channel 4)
The three-part series begins with The Men Who Stare at Goats, which charts the history of a secret US Army unit founded in 1979 – the First Earth Battalion.
The programme uncovers the startling truth about this unit’s involvement with paranormal activities that defy all known accepted military practice, including mind reading, out of body experiences and ‘thought-death’ experiments carried out on goats at Fort Bragg.
The original documentary can be viewed in several parts on YouTube starting here.
Title: The Men Who Stare at Goats
Release Date: November 6th 2009
Director: Grant Heslov
Screenwriter: Peter Straughan
Starring: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Rebecca Mader, Terry Serpico
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot Summary: Based on true events described in Jon Ronson’s 2004 book of the same title, “The Men Who Stare at Goats” involves a down-on-his-luck reporter (McGregor) who gets more than he bargains for when he meets a special forces agent (Clooney) who reveals the existence of a secret, psychic military unit whose goal is to use paranormal powers to end war as we know it.