The Crazy Rulers of the World

I found Jon Ronson's 'Crazy Rulers of the World' truly fascinating. For three years he researched paranormal experiments of the US Army. As a result he produced this three part documentary series and wrote a book called 'The Men Who Stare at Goats'. There is also a Hollywood feature film directed and starred by George Clooney, that goes by the same name.

The series tracks persons and phenomenas of the 'First Earth Battallion', as well as paranormal activities of the intelligence community. Jonson interviews high ranking army officers and other individuals, who played a central role in the subsequent events. He also investigates the origins of some contemporary applications such as the use of music as torture.

The end result is a gripping tale that starts from curious and progresses to bizarre. Jonson interviews some fantastic individuals, who seem surprisingly at ease in front of the camera. While 10 stars may seem an exaggeration to some, I found my self thoroughly satisfied and entertained at the end, with no complaints. It's a shame this series hasn't had a wider release.

For those of you who like getting your information about mad rumours - such as MK Ultra and the men who stare at goats - straight from a reliable source, this documentary is a must. A rare attempt to find solid proof that supernatural abilities were studied and deployed by the US military, this investigation manages to dig up some fascinating dirt and bona fide evidence of the uncanny; for instance, the psychic Prudence, accurately predicts that London will be the target of a major attack in the next 18 months (the series was released at the end of 2004, less than 18 months before the 7/7 suicide attacks). She impressively details the last moments of life of a man who was "suicided" by the CIA, too. Watch it for yourself and feel some scepticism slip away.

While it's a good study of this phenomenon, it suffers for its poor editing. Numerous, long television segments are included that are watching-paint-dry dull and add nothing to the story; these are seemingly only included to stretch out the story, or add some sort of nostalgic or cinematic element to an otherwise sober investigation. I found these segments only made the piece seem more dumbed down and wondered what they were thinking. At other times, interviews go on for too long or include irrelevant facts. These points could have been fixed by someone with a sharp eye. But, there's some gold here for seekers after paranormal truths.

An amazing story unfolds in front of the journalist's (and ours) eyes, and with a steady hand Jon Ronson manages to keep track of the important parts and trace the unfolding consequences of a series of strange choices made by the US military decades ago. Sometimes bizarre and sometimes funny, the story is told by a filmmaker who never leans back happy to just entertain but makes sure to ask the right questions and keep us interested and informed. Making sure to interview all involved that he can find, and also linking the story to updated information and what goes on in the world today, Ronson manages to fill in missing gaps and attack the ideas presented in the film from different perspectives.

This film should be on the mandatory watch list of all people who just have seen the more fictional version of "Men who stare at goats" with Clooney and McGregor.