Does Conspiracy Theory Make Sense?

“Conspiracy Theory” is a 1997 American political action thriller film directed by Richard Donner, featuring Mel Gibson as a paranoid taxi driver who constantly reveals his crazy conspiracy theories. The movie is based on a story by playwright Donald Freed and Rush, and stars Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart, Cylk Cozart, Steve Kahan, Terry Alexander, Alex McArthur, and Rod McLachlan. The movie is rated 7.6 (62K) on Metascore and has a rating of 93 Metascore.

The movie revolves around a man in London who tries to help a counter-espionage agent but is killed and stands accused. He must go on the run to save the man. The movie’s true good parts are buried beneath the layers of thriller cliches and an unconvincing love story. Mel Gibson plays Jerry Fletcher, a New York City cabbie who becomes a target after one of these theories turns into a conspiracy.

Mel Gibson’s performance as a paranoid crazy guy is incredibly well-played, and the film’s final half-hour of hasty explanations and mock-sincere emotion is an outright insult to anyone who took the movie seriously at its start. The movie could be seen as a mix of horror, comedy, or anything in between, with the characters being well-portrayed and the film being a quixotic little indie production.