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Anyone familiar with other George Clooney comedies such as Three Kings or Ocean’s Twelve should expect this film to be subtly satirical, darkly comical and hugely charismatic. And as expected the film excels in both content and delivery.
Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is a news reporter who, after losing his wife to his editor takes up a position as Iraq correspondent. However when he arrives there, he struggles to find a story until a chance encounter with Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) takes him on a road trip, which is essentially the plot of this movie. Wilton at first has his doubts about Cassady, who claims to have trained with a secretive military group known as the Jedi Knights, a reference lost on Wilton (Ewan McGregor), and has advanced telepathic skills (in particular the ability to break up clouds). By the time his doubts become exposed though, he and Cassady are already deep in the desert and he realizes he has to rely on this man.
Lyn Cassady’s telepathic skills don’t extend to counterterrorism and the pair are taken hostage by Iraqi rebels, who appear not to appreciate Wilton’s Arabic linguistics, forcing Cassady to step in and diffuse the situation. Wilton is further angered when he learns that Cassady’s mission was delivered to him in a dream leaving the audience in more doubt about the authenticity of Lyn Cassady.
After nearly dying in Iraqi outlands, Cassady and Wilton are rescued by a military helicopter and taken to base where Cassady’s old mentor Django (played by the outstanding Jeff Bridges) is waiting for him after asking him to come in a dream. More of Cassady’s past is revealed including his history with goats and his arch nemesis Larry Hooper (a sinister Kevin Spacey). Hooper now runs the PSIC op and has a container load of goats that may not have the kindest fate awaiting them. At this point Cassady goes into a funk and Wilton is trained as a Jedi Knight overnight.
In the morning Cassady is warned “don’t eat the eggs” and suddenly the whole army base is tripping on LSD with tanks rioting and Larry Hooper developing a new found respect for nature. Cassady manages to snap out of it long enough to free the goats and then escapes in a helicopter with Django. After this we fast forward to the future where Wilton has grown a very Cassady-esque moustache and is now editor of another paper. He is over his breakup and has found new meaning in his life having written a book about his experience.
As for Cassady and Django, their helicopter crashed and their bodies were never recovered, however after having watched the rest of the movie this just leaves their fates as uncertain as the rest of their story. And they leave, as they entered, shrouded in mystery.
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