Conspiracy Theory
A man obsessed with conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of his theories turns out to be true. Unfortunately, in order to save himself, he has to figure out which theory it is.
What critics thought
Critics found the film a frustrating near-miss: its first half — jittery, paranoid, and genuinely peculiar — drew real enthusiasm, but nearly everyone agreed that it collapses under thriller clichés, an unconvincing romance, and a bloated final act that betrays its own best instincts. Gibson's star charisma was widely credited with papering over the screenplay's hollow stretches, though some felt that likability was precisely the problem, softening a character who should have stayed darker and stranger.
“The strong impact that Gibson makes as damaged goods is diluted by selling Jerry as cute and redeemable. Instead of a scalding brew of mirth and malice, served black, Donner settles up a tepid latte, decaf. What a shame—Conspiracy Theory could have been a contender.”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“Richard Donner ... switches the movie from a really interesting, jittery, literate, and witty tone poem about justified contemporary paranoia (and the creatively unhinged dark side of New York City) to an overloaded, meandering iteration of a Lethal Weapon project that bears the not-so-secret stamp of audience testing and tinkering.”
Lisa Schwarzbaum·Entertainment Weekly
“The last scene is an outright insult to anyone who took the movie seriously at its start.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
Genres
Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorRichard Donner
StarringMel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart, Cylk Cozart, Steve Kahan
ComposerCarter Burwell
Conspiracy Theory
A man obsessed with conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of his theories turns out to be true. Unfortunately, in order to save himself, he has to figure out which theory it is.
What critics thought
Critics found the film a frustrating near-miss: its first half — jittery, paranoid, and genuinely peculiar — drew real enthusiasm, but nearly everyone agreed that it collapses under thriller clichés, an unconvincing romance, and a bloated final act that betrays its own best instincts. Gibson's star charisma was widely credited with papering over the screenplay's hollow stretches, though some felt that likability was precisely the problem, softening a character who should have stayed darker and stranger.
“The strong impact that Gibson makes as damaged goods is diluted by selling Jerry as cute and redeemable. Instead of a scalding brew of mirth and malice, served black, Donner settles up a tepid latte, decaf. What a shame—Conspiracy Theory could have been a contender.”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“Richard Donner ... switches the movie from a really interesting, jittery, literate, and witty tone poem about justified contemporary paranoia (and the creatively unhinged dark side of New York City) to an overloaded, meandering iteration of a Lethal Weapon project that bears the not-so-secret stamp of audience testing and tinkering.”
Lisa Schwarzbaum·Entertainment Weekly
“The last scene is an outright insult to anyone who took the movie seriously at its start.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
Genres
Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorRichard Donner
StarringMel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart, Cylk Cozart, Steve Kahan
ComposerCarter Burwell