El complot

When renting the Conspiracy Theory, I had a one and a half year old kid with me in the video store. While desperately trying to stop him from reaching for every accessible piece of candy, choosing a movie was really just a matter of finding an eye-catching box as fast as possible. The faces of Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts did the job, and I was not to be disappointed.

The story of an obviously mad taxi driver, Gibson, trying to get a well situated beautiful woman, Roberts, to share his conception of the American government as being just about based on far-reaching conspiracies is, though intriguing, hardly convincing. This lack of credibility in the story is however well compensated by the lead actors; if the incredible plot would actually unfold in real life, Gibson and Roberts would definitely be there. This movie is definitely worth watching, not for its story-line which tries, but fails, to surprise, but for the charming atmosphere around the main characters, peaking with their short visit to Jerry's (Gibson's) apartment. I award it seven pleasant and rather humorous stars!

In 1997's Conspiracy Theory, Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) is a conspiracy theorist. He has a conspiracy for everything and is constantly talking about them. He publishes a newsletter that has five subscribers.

Jerry is in love with Alice Sutton (Julia Robert's) whom he saved from a mugging. She works for the US attorney. Jerry visits her constantly without an appointment. She lets him even though she's not totally sure why.

It turns out that one of Jerry's conspiracy theories is correct because he's picked up and tortured by the CIA. He manages to escape.

When Alice visits him in the hospital, he tells her he's going to be killed and begs her to switch his chart with the man across from him. Alice denies doing it the next day when the man across from Jerry suddenly dies, and she's told it's the wrong man, not Jerry.

For what it was, the film was too long. It is, however, intriguing. Gibson does a good job as a man who acts crazy and spends a lot of time talking to himself. Robert's plays the confused Alice well.

Lots of New York City scenes. For me Richard Donner's direction is a little scattered. I saw this film at a screening. It came and went quickly.

I found this film really hard to focus on, there was Mel Gibson playing a paranoid crazy guy, being dragged off by government/non-government 'spooks' and having some sort of weird obsession with Julia Roberts. But as the film unfolded, and the storyline, a complex one, began to unravel it all started to make some kind of sense. My favorite part has to be the self destruction of his apartment, that was quite imaginative. Before I saw this i was expecting something along the lines of Lethal Weapon, being the same star, and same director. But it was so completely different from what I thought it would be and it actually ended up being a better film as a consequence. Mel Gibson played a completely different character than what we usually see, which worked to his benefit and Julia Roberts proved with this film, that she still had star power. Definitely worth a look.

Mel Gibson is most sympathetic as conspiracy theorist Jerry Fletcher, who lives in a ultra-secure, booby trapped apartment where he publishes his newsletter critical of the government. Ironically, he loves government employee Alice Sutton(played by Julia Roberts) from afar. One day, their worlds collide when one of Jerry's theories seems to be true, as he becomes the target of assassination, and Alice helps him to go on the run from the unknown government forces. He thinks that Dr. Jonas(Patrick Stewart) will help him, but it turns out that was one conspiracy he didn't anticipate...

Entertaining thriller is well directed by Richard Donner, with a good pace and reasonably believable story, though it does go on a bit too long, and becomes a bit too convoluted, but otherwise this film works well, and some of Jerry's theories may not be so nutty anymore...

When I picked up this video for a couple of bucks I'd never heard of it, and Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts don't seem a likely pair. I was therefore pleasantly surprised by the film. It has heart, decent performances, especially by Gibson who plays against type, an interesting story, quite a few surprises, and for anyone who loves a good conspiracy this presents one. I've seen it several times and it always entertains. Definitely worth a look.