The Men Who Stare At Goats

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234548/

Not really sure how to rate this film. It wasnt totally stupid, but then again it wasnt really hilariously funny. I guess the trailers for me had me hoping for more but what I got was just normal.

Story is of a small town journalist who wants to prove himself as a serious journalist to make his ex-wife (who left him for his editor) jealous and all...wow, dont really see that happening huh? I know, this is based on a real story and in fact there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the film saying that 'more parts of this film are real than you would like to believe'. Anyways, said reporter goes over to the middle east and meets up with a retired 'jedi warrior' that has been trained by the US army. They go in to a war zone to do a 'mission' that the jedi warrior will not talk about and you are subjected to the jedi training that the agent got while being trained by the gov't. To give you a taste of the training, one scene involves how by using the power of his mind he shows the reporter how the agent instills a sense of fear and dread in the reporter so high that the reporter can not attack the agent. The reporter then experiences something that makes him totally incapable of attacking the agent, thus proving his jedi strengths...granted, it could also have been the arm grab and judo flip that put the reporter on his butt and the agents foot on the reporters throat but it has to be the mind strength of the agent.

What made this film enjoyable to watch was how the agent truly believed his jedi strengths and abilities and the look of amazment that someone could be as stupid to believe this. I found it amusing having talked to people who believe so totally with tarot cards, ESP, Sylvia Browne and other mental con artists out there and I could see these people in the agent.

I really wouldnt recommend this movie at full price but would suggest seeing it at the cheap seats or possibly just wait for the video and get it from the library.