Oliver Stone is a mouthpiece for the people who control the conspiracies. NASA is plotting to kill the President with an earthquake in Turkey. Jerry Garcia isn't dead, he is an English 007 spy returned home for retirement. And "Air Force One" just slipped to second in total box office receipts.
The first three theories have little credibility. But the fourth is fact. "Conspiracy Theory," starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts, was the top film in box office receipts this weekend. Is there any reason for this, or has the hype machine succeeded in pulling one over on us again?
Well, "Conspiracy Theory" might have opened on hype, but its legs will be based on the fact that this is a quality movie with a decent script. Note that I didn't say good. This is still an action movie and it certainly isn't going to be nominated for any Oscars. But it is still a fairly intelligent and engaging film.
Gibson plays Jerry, a cab driver who publishes a newsletter called "Conspiracy Theory." Every month his five subscribers receive a collection of Jerry's latest theories. Most are wacky, but one hits home.
It gets him kidnapped by the spooks who are in charge of covering up the various plots the government is carrying out against the average citizen. The leader of this spook group is played by Patrick Stewart of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fame.
Stewart is positively evil and some fans of his earlier work might be bothered by this switch in persona. However, the performance is very convincing. Stewart is everything you fear from the government and big business all rolled into one.
While he is being tortured by Stewart, Jerry manages to escape. It quickly becomes clear that Jerry has a legitimate reason to be so paranoid about what is going on around him. He attempts to contact Roberts, who plays a member of the Justice department.
Her performance is the least convincing and seems nothing more than a repeat of the torturously boring role she created for "The Pelican Brief." Nothing is particularly believable about Roberts, from her initial attempts to stick up for Jerry to her cheesy grin in the closing scene.
Tolerate her, though, as the rest of the movie is excellent. The chase is on for Jerry, who uses some very interesting tricks to keep in touch with Roberts. For someone who is first presented as a loony cab driver, he has an impressive repertoire of tricks. The end of the movie ties up this loose end with an explanation, as well as many of the other nagging questions.
What the ending fails to clear up is just what the conspiracy was that Jerry published. We get an explanation, but it doesn't seem to be one of the conspiracies that was in the last issue of Jerry's newsletter.
Compared to many of the dangling ends that some action flicks have, this is a relatively small problem. The movie does cause one to stop and think for a second about the government and the complex web of market capitalism that has sprung up next to it. Perhaps the two groups mesh too well.
"Conspiracy Theory" is also very moving for an action/adventure movie. If you go to see the film with a group you might find that conversation is slim to none on the ride home as everyone takes a moment to sort out how they feel. You might end up questioning what you believe, what might be true and what must be fiction.
Hopefully fiction is all this movie is. The film is clearly an outgrowth of the culture of mistrust that has grown out of the Watergate fiasco of the '70s and the nation's continued doubt about its involvement in Vietnam and Korea. Doubt, mistrust and hesitation fill the plot and dialogue.
This mistrust is blended with interesting cinematography and outstanding choreography of fight scenes to create a very convincing film experience.
