Conspiracy Theory . Tucson Weekly . 08-25-97

Conspiracy Theory

DIRECTED BY: Richard Donner

REVIEWED: 08-25-97

Who does Mel Gibson think he's fooling? In his role as a scruffy New York cab driver with an overactive suspicion gland, Gibson constantly stutters, mumbles, and acts like a coked-up manchild. It's ridiculous. Like Gibson, director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon) can't seem to find an appropriate tone for what, in truth, is a disturbing portrait of an unhinged paranoid. Inevitably Donner gives up and makes the weird choice of directing Conspiracy Theory like just another fun-loving Mel Gibson flick. That would have worked fine for a straightforward mystery/thriller, but the film's plot makes so many sharp right turns, and heads in so many contradictory directions, you end up feeling pretty unhinged yourself. And though it's part of the movie's selling point, the developing romantic tension between Gibson and Julia Roberts (who, as a Federal agent, provides the movie's only unembarrassing performance) just seems inappropriate.

--Woodruff

Full Length Reviews
Conspiracy Theory
Conspiracy Theory
Conspiracy Theory

Capsule Reviews
Conspiracy Theory

Other Films by Richard Donner
Assassins
Lethal Weapon 4

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The Thomas Crown Affair
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