THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
"Conspiracy Theory"
Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart
Directed by Richard Donner
Warner Bros. Pictures, rel. 8-8-97
review by Mike Rizzo
A long time ago, (and seemingly in a galaxy far, far away) back in the days of Alfred Hitchcock and Otto Preminger, American moviegoers, and movie critics, enjoyed the idea of a little tinge of suspense and intelligence in their films. In 1997, however, with huge multiplexes, huge budgets, and huge special effects, this no longer seems to be the case. To support this theory, I offer you the decidedly mixed reviews which so far have been given to "Conspiracy Theory", the fifth collaboration between Mel Gibson, Richard Donner, and producer Joel Silver. With so many movies flooding the multiplexes, perhaps critics are too tired for a little bit of mental gymnastics once the picture begins; perhaps also moviegoers are too accustomed to seeing a film's entire plot laid out in its trailer. While by no means an accomplishment of Hitchcockian proportions, in "Conspiracy Theory", Donner and screenwriter Brian Helgeland have created a fast-paced, suspenseful, and intelligent film in which not everything is as it seems to be, a very rare commodity in this summer of big-bang action blockbusters. Crackpot cabbie Jerry Fletcher (Gibson) drives around New York espousing far-flung theories on every type of conspiracy under the sun, to anyone who'll listen (and even when nobody is listening). Jerry stammer, blabbers, talks to himslef, and thinks out loud; he comes across as the product of a cross between "Taxi Driver", "Rain Man", and "The X-Files". The only person who'll listen to Jerry is saintly Justice Department attorney Alice Sutton (Roberts). She tolerates his crazy theories - he babbles something about NASA trying to kill the President with an earthquake - with a roll of the eyes and a smile (she is Julia Roberts, after all). In return, Jerry has an unannounced (to her, at least) love for her. Somewhat unnervingly, we see Jerry watching Alice through her apartment window - an interesting moment early in the film where we don't know whether he a peeping tom, or a guardian angel, or just a nutcase. Hwoever, there's something more beneath Jerry's nutty exterior than the audience, Alice, or even Jerry himself, is prepared for. THere is far too much back story to "Conspiracy Theory"'s dense, labyrinthine plot to describe it in detail without giving away too much. If you're like me, discovering it is the most enjoyable part of the film. AS it turns out (and this is what has most trailer-addicted folks in a tizzy), it's not his theories, but it's Jerry himself that "They" are after. Jerry is quite obviously more than just a little crazy; besides the aforementioned peeping, he has violent flashbacks (which almost cause him to wreck his cab), and he waves a gun around in public haphazardly. Jerry is definitely dangerous, but to whom? Jerry is kidnapped, pumped for information, and tortured in a squirmingly vivid manner by a suspicious "CIA shrink" known as Dr. Jonas (Stewart). When Jerry escapes, both Jonas and a team of FBI agents (led by Cylk Cozart) show up looking for him, but not necessarily for the same reasons. Jerry's only seeming ally is Alice, who isn't surewhether she can trust him, or Jonas, or anybody. Things get considerably more complex from there. Helgeland's script is audacious enough to to continue developing both stories and characters well into the film's second hour, as Jerry's past, top-secret CIA experimentation, and the mysterious death of Alice's father play large parts in the film's final resolution (hint: Jerry's fixation on Alice isn't a coincidence). "Conspiracy Theory" works on the whole, though the two halves of the film are of starkly different moods. The second half of the film doesn't keep up with the first hour's sense of paranoia, or the humor which is derived from that paranoia; Jerry's idiosyncracies are quite amusing to observe. When the paranoia comes to fruition and Jerry is being chased, the paranoia and humor fade. Gibson, however, holds everything in place, as he delivers one of his very best, certainly most artistic, performances ever. It's clear that the character of Jerry was written for him, as no other star of his ilk combines groundedness with feree-floa ting mayhem so adeptly. His Jerry Fletcher is a good-natured loon, but a ticking time bomb nonetheless. We have no idea what he's goin to do next, or how crazy he really is. His blabbering and spouting are fun, but it's when paired with Roberts as his object of unrequited affection that he's at his best. When Alice finally visits Jerry's apartment, it's a glorious yet crushing moment - he's excited that she finally sees how he lives, yet sane enough to to realize that the way he lives is pretty embarrassing, and Gibson renders it beautifully. Roberts does well with what she's given, despite the fact that she really doesn't have a character to play until midway through the film. She does have some nice momenst, especially as she grows more suspicious of Jeryy and his role in her life. Stewart, effective in in a break from "Star Trek" mode, doesn't really get enough of a chance to be duplicitous, as we're aware early in the film that he's up to some kind of no good. In terms of production, really there isn't much to quibble about. Being their fifth go-around, Gibson, Donner, and Silver have this thing down (rumor has it that teaming number six will be the much-anticipated "Lethal Weapon 4", possibly next summer). "Conspiracy Theory"'s ending hs been noticeably tinkered with, as Donner filmed it two different ways and let the test audiences make the decision; the final cut leaves the door open for a possible sequel, provided that Gibson and Roberts, both red-hot at the moment, aren't more expensive than their reported $32 million combined salaries for this one. Composer Carter Burwell's offbeat jazz score is one of the most refreshingly original of the year, after too many films either going bombastic ("Batman and Robin", "The Lost World", etc.) or hip-hop (a la "Men In Black"). High praise for screenwriter Helgeland, whose pop-culture tweaks are by far the most literate on screen in some time. A special notice to Helgeland's homage to J.D. Salinger, as a key development in Jerry's character involves, and at the same time is cribbed from, Salinger's classic _The Catcher in the Rye_. Imagine that. a studio movie using a book as a part of its plot. Maybe Hollywood is more intelligent than we thought.
Stars: A- Story/Script: A Direction/Effects: B+
"Conspiracy Theory" : A-
copyright 1997
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