Conspiracy Theory (1997)

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.

Director:

Richard Donner

Writer:

Brian Helgeland

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Jerry Fletcher
Julia Roberts	...	Alice Sutton
Patrick Stewart	...	Dr. Jonas
Cylk Cozart	...	Agent Lowry
Steve Kahan	...	Mr. Wilson (as Stephen Kahan)
Terry Alexander	...	Flip
Alex McArthur	...	Cynic
Rod McLachlan	...	Justice Guard
Michael Potts	...	Justice Guard
Jim Sterling	...	Justice Guard
Rich Hebert	...	Public Works Man
Brian J. Williams	...	Clarke
G.A. Aguilar	...	Piper
Cece Neber Labao	...	Henry Finch's Secretary
Saxon Trainor	...	Alice's Secretary

Storyline

Jerry Fletcher is a man in love with a woman he observes from afar. She works for the government. Fletcher is an outspoken critic of that government. He has conspiracy theories for everything, from aliens to political assassinations. But soon, one of his theories finds itself to be accurate. But which one? Some dangerous people want him dead and the only person he trusts is that woman he loves but does not know.

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Plot Keywords:

conspiracy | newsletter | taxi | secret service | fire | 

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Taglines:

What you know could kill you.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

El complot

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$49,000,000 (Non-US) (7 November 1997)

Gross:

$76,081,498 (USA) (21 November 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Silver Pictures, Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film makes references to Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. In the film, Jerry evades capture by running from a Barnes and Noble bookstore and seeks sanctuary in a theater. This is a reference to Oswald, who ran from a book depository and hid in a theater after the assassination.

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Goofs

When Jerry leaves Alice on the train and Alice gets a phone call on her mobile phone, she is still in the subway. Mobile phone technology of the day dictates that calls can not be completed when underground in the subway. She would not have a signal to receive or make a call.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jerry Fletcher: July eighth, 1979, all the fathers of Nobel Prize winners were rounded up by United Nations military units, all right, and actually forced at gunpoint to give semen samples in little plastic jars, which are now stored below Rockefeller Center underneath the ice skating rink...

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Crazy Credits

The initial Warner Bros. logo with the clouds behind is shown - the camera then pulls back to show the logo as a billboard on the side of a bus.

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Connections

References The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Roto-Rooter Jingle"
Written by Captain Stubby and The Buccaneers

User Reviews

A Surprisingly Good Film

Let me say immediately that I would recommend this film to almost anyone but the most literal-minded. This film will be different things to different people. It can be a macho thriller, a subtle romance, an ironic look at ourselves, or a combination of all these things. The great thing about this movie is not so much the plot, but the individual situations and scenes. What is meant to be portrayed as paranoid behaviour by Mel Gibson's character, Jerry Fletcher, becomes quite funny when the viewer recognizes his or her own self doing similar things, but in a context that is supposedly "normal." Jerry's having a padlock on his refrigerator and a combination lock on his coffee will bring a smile to the lips of anyone who has to deal with numerous computer "logons" and passwords to gain access to even the most mundane things in our computer-dominated workplaces. Likewise, the writers and director are spot on when they show poor paranoid Jerry going to separate mailboxes to post his various letters, while many of us here in the on-line world will routinely use pseudonyms, proxies, remailers, etc for the very same reason that Jerry takes his seemingly abnormal precautions, i.e., to avoid potentially prying eyes. So, who's paranoid? I thought this was very insightful. As for overt humour, perhaps my guard was down, but I laughed until tears came to my eyes when Jerry tossed off joke about a man who had only three minutes to live. Mel Gibson's delivery of the punch line was perfect. As for pathos and those human moments, scenes in which Jerry would gladly die for just a brushing kiss from his worshipped Julia Roberts might bring back memories of anyone's naive, tender years and momentarily make your heart ache. And a scene in which Jerry is unable to explain why he compulsively buys copies of the same book over and over again is very poignant, indeed. Mel Gibson put a lot of energy into what was obviously a demanding role and, as usual, Julia Roberts lights up the screen in every scene she's in. The film might be a fantasy, but it's the sort of fantasy many of us can appreciate.