On Donner Strikes Again!

Before releasing the last Lethal Weapon film entry, whose co-producers included longtime collaborator Joel Silver, Donner directed another excellent suspense romp, Conspiracy Theory, with Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart, and Cylk Cozart.

Gibson plays taxi driver Jerry Fletcher, eccentric and unstable conspiracy theorist, who either stalks, romances from afar, or watches over Julia Roberts’ Justice Department attorney, Alice Sutton. Patrick Stewart is Dr. Jonas, whose agenda is not immediately clear, and Cylk Cozart, an FBI agent, involved in the hunt that develops.

Jerry is constantly visiting Alice’s office, trying to convince her of multiple, clandestine goings on to affect solutions, and Alice is kind to Jerry, but a bit frustrated and flummoxed as he distracts her from her typical work agenda.

Jerry keeps experiencing flashbacks, tormented by memories attached to physical pain… memories he can’t evade that don’t make sense to him. These various plot strands coalesce into a thrilling plot with a clever crescendo finale. I won’t give away the plot, as this movie is just too good to be true.

-FitzGerald Press

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