Opening

72% World War Z Jun 21
77% Monsters University Jun 21
61% The Bling Ring Jun 21
60% Maniac Jun 21
100% A Hijacking Jun 21
66% Unfinished Song Jun 21
100% The Attack Jun 21
—— The Haunting of Helena Jun 21

Top Box Office

55% Man of Steel $116.6M
85% This Is the End $20.7M
50% Now You See Me $11.0M
71% Fast & Furious 6 $9.6M
38% The Purge $8.3M
34% The Internship $7.1M
62% Epic $6.3M
87% Star Trek Into Darkness $6.3M
11% After Earth $4.1M
78% Iron Man 3 $3.0M

Coming Soon

—— How To Make Money Selling Drugs Jun 26
—— White House Down Jun 28
—— The Heat Jun 28
56% I'm So Excited! Jun 28

Conspiracy Theory (1997)

tomatometer

47

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 15
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 8

No consensus yet.

audience

66

liked it
Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 141,637

My Rating

Movie Info

Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) is a New York City cab driver who seems to have absorbed every bit of crackpot information passed along as "suppressed news" that's surfaced on talk radio or the Internet in the past 20 years. Anti-United Nations militia men who are actually U.N. operatives? NASA scientists engineering earthquakes? Oliver Stone's secret life as a government agent discrediting conspiracy theorists? Jerry's heard 'em all and believes most of them, and even publishes his own journal of

R,

Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

Brian Helgeland

Dec 30, 1997

Warner Home Video

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All Critics (52) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (20) | DVD (4)

Donner directs with an efficient hand. He keeps the action moving briskly. But most important for this format, he knows how to slip in a quick joke or two without detracting from the tension of the suspenseful plot.

November 6, 2002 Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The film starts to sour after 20 minutes...

June 18, 2002 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...more long-winded than cunningly elaborate, more simplistic than elegantly simple, and more nonsensical than anything else.

April 12, 2002 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...the strong impact that Gibson makes as damaged goods is diluted by selling Jerry as cute and redeemable.

May 11, 2001
Rolling Stone
Top Critic IconTop Critic

In the hands of stars in denial about their stardom and a director who can't be bothered to take things seriously, it has come out implausible and unsatisfying, a comic thriller that is not especially funny or thrilling.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

There's nothing quite like a big, handsome, movie-star-driven Hollywood film when it's done right.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee
Sacramento Bee
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...a marginally engrossing thriller that ultimately comes off as something of a disappointment...

October 23, 2009 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews
Reel Film Reviews

Two-thirds of a fine comedy of paranoia.

July 30, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com
eFilmCritic.com

About a truth seeker who has a difficult time figuring out who to trust in a world where everyone seems to be playing multiple roles.

August 29, 2002 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice
Spirituality and Practice

If you've ever questioned Gibson's appeal, this serio-comic thriller offers 135 minutes of persuasive evidence as to why he's become one of the world's most reliable box-office draws.

June 23, 2002 Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette
Kalamazoo Gazette

...even at two hours and 15 minutes, Conspiracy Theory is fast-paced and exciting, effectively mixing drama, comedy, ingenuity, suspense, revelation and a heartening sense of a triumph of humanity.

June 5, 2002 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine

Parece que se tornou uma especialidade de Hollywood transformar idéias boas, criativas, em filmes de perseguição constante.

May 31, 2002 Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena
Cinema em Cena

I guess a Julia Roberts fetish can't overcome a crummy script and bad production values after all.

June 16, 2001 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com
Filmcritic.com

The action gets tiresome early, and the inspiration-starved script shamelessly lifts key plot elements from The Parallax View and Manchurian Candidate.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: E! Online
E! Online

...an uneasy mix of laughs and thrills; suspense and soap.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine
Empire Magazine

Mel's sheepish grins, charming buffoonery and flashes of wit carry the picture to such an extent that we are generously forgiving towards the skimpy dividend that is the return for our investment.

January 1, 2000
Jam! Movies

Gibson delivers one of his best performances as Jerry; he finds ways to make a difficult, abrasive character likable and vulnerable.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Audience Reviews for Conspiracy Theory

Gibson and Roberts, throw in patrick stewart and the movie should have been a lot better. Decent movie but just okay.
June 29, 2008
jmanard52

Super Reviewer

Another outstanding collaboration of the "Lethal Weapon" dream team Gibson and Donner, creating a funny, enthralling and exciting conspiracy thriller with all elements it needs. While Gibson's character is clearly a lunatic he finally may be onto something as suddenly an agency is out to have him killed, and only Julia Roberts (who never looked cuter) can help him. The chemistry between the two stars is great and helps a lot to make this work, the smart and engrossing script helps too and of course Donner knows how to direct chases. Sometimes the lunacy goes a bit over board, but the dots of humor doesn't make the overall threat any smaller and the movie always manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. Carter Burwell delievered an excellent soundtrack for it, too. And the last five minutes are near-perfect. Excellent thriller movie making.
June 13, 2006
ironclad1609

Super Reviewer

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Latest News on Conspiracy Theory

March 2, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Swinging "Party," A Sweet and Sour "16"
This week's wide releases will take us on a journey. We'll walk a couple blocks ("16...
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