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 if your most paranoid nightmares had just come true?

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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

Jodie Foster was initially offered the role of Alice.

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Goofs

When Jerry is taped to the wheelchair and Jonas first confronts him, we see Jonas blocking the light, yet there is no shadow on Jerry. Even when we can see the back of the wheelchair, we should be able to see some part of Jonas' shadow over Jerry and/or the wheelchair.

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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 No Way Out (1987)

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Soundtracks

"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
Written by Sting

User Reviews

What an underrated movie!

Mel Gibson gives a great performance here, as well as Julia Roberts! The story is really good, and the movie has some great plot twists. The only thing I disliked was the fact that Patrick Stewart didn't have a bigger role...

The movie also has quite some funny moments and lots of action. This definately is one of Richard Donner's best films to date, due especially to the outstanding performance of Mel Gibson! If you haven't seen it yet and if you're looking for an intelligent, well-acted movie, this is the one!