Conspiracy Theory (1997)

A taxi driver with a penchant for conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of these theories turns out to be true. Unfortunately, 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	...	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	...	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 the woman he loves, but does not know.

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Plot Keywords:

biting someone's nose | hospital | talking while driving | on the run | surveillance | 

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Taglines:

They knew too much

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Genres:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the original script, the theme song was to be "Blue Moon".

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Goofs

When Jerry pauses before getting into the car on the bridge, you can see that the steering wheel has a leather-wrap cover. When they drive away, the wheel is bare.

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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 I Love Lucy (1951)

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Soundtracks

Roto-Rooter Jingle
Written by Captain Stubby and The Buccaneers

User Reviews

Mel Gibson wonderful, chemistry with Julia Roberts tops

The thing that stands out for me in this movie is the wonderful (and underrated) performance given by Mel Gibson. His part calls for an uneasy balance between a paranoid psychotic and romantic leading man and he treds that fine line beautifully. Despite all his craziness, he is totally likeable and his relationship with the Julia Roberts character is wonderfully complex and believable. Julia Roberts also gives an excellent performance and the chemistry between the two leads is perfect.

All in all, I loved this film and didn't understand why it was so underrated by the critics.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conspiracy Theory

Filming Locations:

Orpheum Theater - 842 South Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,313,566, 10 August 1997

Gross USA:

$75,982,834

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$136,982,834

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

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1