CONSPIRACY THEORY

Since the proposition that aliens live among us runs rampant in motion pictures today, it is refreshing to see a pure entertainment picture that stays closer to home. Featuring a top-notch energetic cast and slick photography, CONSPIRACY THEORY purports that the government secretly trains assassins with unethical drug and shock therapy ultimately yielding an engaging, but not altogether, tidy or satisfying yarn.

Instant attraction and box office draw will come from the leads, mega-stars Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. Gibson plays Jerry Fletcher, a New York cab driver who spouts off countless conspiracy theories to his captive customers. Continuing his bizarre antics, he watches the lovely Alice Sutton (Julia Roberts) via binoculars through her window at the Justice Department and then goes to his rigged apartment where everything is stored in locked containers. We quickly surmise that he is a little loony. During his leisure hours, Jerry publishes a newsletter called, what else, Conspiracy Theory, which documents his zany ideas. He makes attempts to contact Alice to warn her of the various threats which he alone discerns.

Troubles arise when he publishes one theory that is true. Jerry is abducted and then interrogated by a deadly serious Dr. Jonas (STAR TREK’s Patrick Stewart). As Jerry gets more and more panicked, he eventually bites the nose of Dr. Jonas and escapes the darkened room.

From this point, the CIA and FBI track Jerry down. Jerry sneaks visits to Alice and tells her that “they” are after him. A game of cat and mouse is played, and Alice finds out from Dr. Jonas that Jerry was used as an assassin to kill her father. Originally buying this explanation, she agrees to be bugged to gain further information from Jerry. He arranges a secret pick-up and they drive off to her childhood home. There, Jerry tells Alice that he didn’t do it, but agents arrive and finally capture him. A final shoot out ensues causing a death and a faked death yielding another conspiracy in the works.

For all its good looks, intrigue and confident direction, this movie stumbles on several points. It combines humor and action unsuccessfully. Despite his well intentions, Jerry is mentally disturbed, and his desperate antics are tragic, not funny. Likewise, Patrick Stewart’s Dr. Jonas merely acts as a bully. He could be more menacing if we saw the damage that he inflicted on other experiment victims. Julia Roberts, enchanting in MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING, plays a cool character here, a little crazy herself to fall in love with the loony Jerry. The final thematic problem arises when Jerry publishes his paper. His experimentation is actual, true and real. It wasn’t that it could be true − he knows that they are true, and it seems that his forum for releasing this information weakens its actual terror. His actual reporting of a real crime is lessened by being mixed with conjectural postulations. Suspense could have been added by expounding on his other conspiracies and making the audience have to figure out which one is true.

Yet, with all these minor bungles, the movie represents a tense, intelligent and largely moral viewing experience. The interrogation and torture scene are harrowing, but Jerry escapes and all other action serves the story nicely without being too violent. Likewise, this R-rated movie, which could have gotten a PG-13, contains no sex or nudity. While being a bit possessive, Jerry genuinely cares for Alice. He expresses his love for her, but very innocently and wants nothing more than to see her safety. Furthermore, evil is punished, and Jerry’s mental health is on the road to recovery. For adults who want their action that races mentally as well as physically, CONSPIRACY THEORY will suffice in a summer of brainless shoot-em-ups.