Conspiracy Theory
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Movie Reviews of Conspiracy Theory
Movie Review: Conspiracy Theory - An extremely well made film!
Summary: 5 Stars
I would definitely have to say that "Conspiracy Theory" is one of my favorite films of all times. The overall premise, pacing and the performances given by the actors lends heavily to this opinion. The one intriguing yet very strange thing about this movie is seeing Patrick Stewart playing the bad guy. After years and years of parts in which he is generally one of the good guys and then of course, his role as Captain Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek The Next Generation solidified his status as the "ultimate" good guy, it's very difficult to see him on the wrong side of the script. As usual though, his performance is as top notch as it is in any project he immerses himself.Mel Gibson's performance as Jerry Fletcher in this film is quite a show. Just imagine his demeanor as Riggs from the "Lethal Weapon" movies and "crazy" it up a few notches and you have Mel Gibson as Jerry Fletcher, an Oscar caliber performance unrewarded. What can one say about Julia Roberts; she does her thing in this film and it works very well. That's the one strange thing about Julia Roberts, in most of her films, you don't see a very drastic difference in her performances, she pretty much does the same thing film for "most" of her films and they keep on being box office hits.
As testament to the quality of this film, one only needs to look at the name of the director which is Richard Donner. For many years now, Richard Donner has directed some of the most successful television shows and films ever produced such as; "Gilligan's Island," "The Rifleman," "Superman" the movie in 1978 and all four of the "Lethal Weapon" movies, hence Mel Gibson's casting in the lead role of "Conspiracy Theory." Needless to say, if you see his name as the director of a new film, it will definitely be worth your time to watch.
The Premise:
Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) is an extremely neurotic cab driver in New York City. Very early in the film, you'll see that he appears to be obsessed with a lawyer by the name of Alice Sutton (Julia Roberts). As the title of the movie suggests, Jerry sees conspiracies every where and despite telling everybody about it to include Alice, nobody seems to believe him and he doesn't even appear to believe himself until Dr. Jonas and his crew steps in and abducts him...
What follows from there is clearly one of Mel Gibson's best films that I've found to be quite enjoyable over several different viewings as this film is quite well worth multiple viewings. I highly recommend this film to any and all who are interested in films from this genre of action/adventure and mystery. {ssintrepid}
Special Features:
This is the only downside to this DVD version, a serious lack of special features.
-Production Notes
-Theatrical Trailer
Movie Review: A Thriller With Nightmarish Overtones But a Hopeful Ending
Summary: 5 Stars
"Conspiracy Theory" begins bizzarely enough when a rambling taxicab driver played by Mel Gibson spews out his various theories to his various clients. After a seizure leads to his taking a customer on a wild ride, he checks on Alice Sutton, a Justice Department worker, deftly played by a soft-looking but very animated Julia Roberts. This time, we aren't offered any blood-soaked,testosterone-filled ego trips as in "Braveheart", nor any feminine thoughts filling Mel's straight, narrow, delicate-looking, paper clip-shaped ears as in "What Women Want". But we are given a potential love story between two people of very different backgrounds who somehow click because of their willingness to look out for each other.
Jerry Fletcher's love for Ms. Sutton is obvious. But after several unauthorized visits to her at work, he is captured and tortured by the sinister Dr. Jonas, who is determined to kill Jerry before he can reveal the truth about a crime Jonas comitted.
Jerry escapes the clutches of his nemesis, who is played by a vulture-like Patrick Stewart. Consoled by the sympathetic Alice, Jerry is hospitalized. But the chase continues.
About the only bit of sexuality in this film is Mel roaming about in his hospital gown, revealing that (a)he still has the glowing, beautiful complexion that artists love, and that (b)even when looking like a frightened little boy with dip smeared on his face, he still has those rippling biceps, which are revealed when his sleeve is raised as he struggles in the hospital's laundry chute.
Sloe-eyed and smoky-complexioned Cylk Cozart is an intelligence agent who is influenced by Jonas at first, but helps the right people once he finds out the truth. He plays his role with a lot of dignity and reserve.
Terry Alexander was amusing to watch as the newspaper vendor who listens to Jerry's theories. Other points of interest include the street smarts that Jerry constantly has to use to throw off his tormentors.
The ending in which a wounded Jerry is carried off in a helicopter reminded me of the end of "The World According to Garp", quite frankly. But even though the girl doesn't get to make the journey with him, one has to feel satisfied that all is not completely lost. Watch for the trio singing "You're Just Too Good to Be True". It's such a kick!
Movie Review: Public emergency paranoia
Summary: 5 Stars
Quite a very good film. It is a thriller and the main character looks and sounds psychotic at least, if not schizophrenic. He definitely speaks of some kind of persecution and he lives right at the heart of a conspiracy and we discover very fast he is the one who is trying to undo it. The film becomes very complex little by little and we are confronted to various security agencies fighting one against the others to capture that man and the main names are CIA and FBI. What makes the film even more complex is that the man is in love, and we know that from the very first moment he is tom-peeping onto her, with the woman who works for the Justice Department, third official security force in the picture. The point is to understand why these people are after him and why he is after the Justice Department to which he wants to speak. What is the secret in that man's head and mind? The film is a perfect thriller because of the action but also because that action is not for itself, for the sake of itself, for its own sake. That action is treacherous because we do not know whether we have to support those official security services or the woman who is kind of an innocent witness trapped in the middle of a mud pile or the man who seems to be justified in a way to run away because of the violence the security services put on the table. The end will be tricky in many ways but the film will remain one more film on the danger of the industrial military complex and the divided loyalties of the security services in such situations. Some of them are after all maybe not so bad. Maybe we can sleep in full peace and in one piece, trusting the faithfulness of some security agents who will reprieve the bad reputation of their agencies.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Saint Denis, University Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID
Movie Review: JOIN THE CONSPIRACY!
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a silly, yet thoroughly enjoyable movie that had me enthralled throughout its two hours. The basic premise of the movie evolves around a taxi driver, Jerry (Gibson), who is extremely paranoid (for reasons the movie reveals), and believes that everything is a conspiracy theory. He becomes obsessed with a woman, Julia Roberts, who works in the justice department, and looks to her for support in his ideas. When Gibson is captured by the very people he fears, things start becoming complicated, you start to realise that there is more foundation to his "lunacy" and he is maybe not as crazy as you thought...or is he worse? The plot then twists and turns its way to the end, in true thriller style. Roberts and Gibson are a fantastic combination, that really gives the movie its edge. Gibsons portrayal of Jerry is nothing short of brilliant, and there is also a strong supporting cast who give good performances. Although the movies plot is serious, the characters, Jerry in particular, are amusing and give the movie an overall light-hearted feel, in some scenes, when Gibson escapes from his captures in a wheelchair for instance, the film verges on being a black comedy, renminiscent of 'Very Bad Things' style madness. There is also a subtle love story thrown in for good measure (what Hollywood movie is complete without one?), however, its discreetness is its saviour and actually adds something to the plot without becoming "icky". If you enjoy movies such as Enemy of the state, or are just a fan of Gibson or Roberts, then this is a must see.
Movie Review: Bravo, Julia and Mel CAN act!
Summary: 5 Stars
I never thought I'd ever see these two actually act. I mean did they get paid good or what? Julia, like Mel has a history of same-old, same-old movie making. Prior to 'Conspiracy Theory' both Julia and Mel had made a career of mediocre movies...with the possible exceptions of Mel's 'Mad Max' flicks, except they got pretty formula after number one. Up till now, Mel's forever stuck in the 'Lethal Weapon' mode and Julia had been stuck in the 'Best Friend's Wedding and Notting Hill' mode. The long-term effect of all this mediocrity has been Julia's turning into a human stick figure...which just accentuates her huge mouth and liver-like lips. With Mel, the effect has been to make his up till recently charming Aussie accent to fade away. He now sounds like a farmer from Iowa. But this movie vindicates them both. Never have I seen Julia actually 'act' before and Mel, my god I almost died when he didn't get the Academy Award for 'Actor showing most promise' in a starring role. I theorize maybe that strategically putting Patrick Stewart in the movie as the corrupted Government Bad Guy acutally cowed Julia and Mel into earning their pay. Patrick was, after all, the only one with a B.A. in acting from an accredited acting school in Britain...where it all began...so that paid off. Oh, the plot was okay, and the action was so-so. But, oh, I am just so happy that in my lifetime I got to see them both act...and together in a single movie.