Psy-Warriors explores the military use of psychological operations as writer David Leland poses in his article "the moral dilemma of how far we can torture and degrade prisoners in the name of democracy and freedom". It unflinchingly depicts the physical and mental treatment of terrorist suspects, drawing from official reports and research. Images of the practices of humiliation and interrogation are troubling - The Listener's columnist David Wheeler called it a "sado-masochist's special" - but so are the concepts behind those practices, which are explored in provocative yet witty dialogue. Apart from a few filmed inserts, Psy-Warriors was shot on video in the studio and, in director Alan Clarke's characteristically passionate and precise handling, the dramatic spaces of television reinforce the play's ideas.
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Soldiers are captured and interrogated by terrorists: but is it real or only a sadistic form of psychological training exercise?
