Line #3 Film/ConspiracyTheory


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6	[[quoteright:297:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Conspiracy_theory_poster.jpg]]
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8	''Conspiracy Theory'' is a 1997 American action/paranoid thriller film directed by Creator/RichardDonner, starring Creator/MelGibson, Creator/JuliaRoberts and Creator/PatrickStewart. The original screenplay by Brian Helgeland centers on an eccentric taxi driver who believes many world events are triggered by government conspiracies.
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10	Jerry Fletcher is a man in love with Alice Sutton, a woman he observes from afar. She works for the government. Fletcher is an outspoken critic of that government. He has conspiracy theories for everything, from aliens to political assassinations. But soon, one of his theories finds itself to be accurate. But which one? Some dangerous people want him dead and the only person he trusts is that woman he loves but does not know.
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14	!!''Conspiracy Theory'' contains examples of:
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16	* ArcWords: More like an Arc Song Lyrics, but yeah; "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You".
17	* ApologeticAttacker:
18	** Jerry apologizes to a policeman he must knock out when escaping from the hospital.
19	** Jerry and Alice both apologize after (apparently) knocking out on the same government agent.
20	* BaldOfEvil: Dr. Jonas.
21	* BerserkButton: Jerry outright says, "I'm not a violent man, but if you hurt Alice, I swear, I'll kill you."
22	* BigBrotherIsWatching: The Government keeps track of several of their {{Manchurian agent}}s by using their compulsion to buy "The Catcher in the Rye".
23	* BlackHelicopter: Jerry claims to hear them buzzing over the city, and they're observed overhead at the end of the film.
24	* ChekhovsGun: At one point, Jerry uses a TapOnTheHead to try and knock out a government agent, and has to do it again because he realizes the agent is faking unconsciousness. Later in the movie, after Alice hits the same agent on the head and leaves him behind, he immediately gets up and follows her.
25	* CIAEvilFBIGood:
26	** The FBI help Jerry and Alice, whereas the CIA, and Dr. Jonas, is after them.
27	** [[spoiler:Subverted when Agent Lowry reveals he and his associates work for an entirely different intelligence agency, which he declines to name. Even HE isn't really named Lowry.]]
28	* CloudCuckooLander: Jerry, in part thanks to the brainwashing he suffered and the gravy for the brain.
29	* TheCuckooLanderWasRight: Jerry. Turns out that several of his theories were proven right later on.
30	* ConspiracyTheorist: Jerry. He even has a conspiracy theory newsletter.
31	* ConspiracyThriller: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin It's right in the title, really]].
32	* CrazyPrepared: Jerry's apartment is rigged to burn down completely but to leave the rest of the building unharmed. He also has a secret basement built in and a fireman's outfit lying around.
33	* CreatorCameo: Richard Donner as Jerry's first fare, wearing shades.
34	* DeadlyEuphemism: "Gravy for the Brain" for mind-altering drugs.
35	* DerangedTaxiDriver: Jerry Fletcher is a paranoid New York cab driver who rants and raves about conspiracies to any passenger who will listen (and anyone who won't). His home is basically a survivalist's bunker, even armed with a self-destruct system. Turns out he has a good reason for his erratic behavior; he may have been an MK Ultra subject, brainwashed into being a sleeper assassin, and is fighting his programming
36	* DrugsAreBad: No! Not the gravy for the brain!
37	* GovernmentConspiracy: Dr. Jonas, the guy in charge of the brainwashing unit, worked for the government.
38	* GunmanWithThreeNames: Jerry discusses this at one point, mentioning John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, wondering at what significance it has.
39	* HomeFieldAdvantage: When the bad guys come calling, Jerry's prepared. Not only does he have numerous warning systems, he also spent a great deal of time turning his home into an instant firetrap, allowing him to escape, but which was set up in such a way that it didn't spread to [[HeroInsurance other apartments.]]
40	* InLoveWithTheMark: [[spoiler: Jerry was originally tasked with killing Alice's dad. Alice's dad is able to help him break out of his programming, for the most part, and asks Jerry to take care of his daughter, which is why Jerry is always stalking her.]]
41	* KillSat: One of his theories involves the use of the Space Shuttle to kill the President. [[spoiler:Implied to be true.]]
42	* LogoJoke: We zoom out from the WB shield to reveal it's on the side of a bus-for some reason.
43	* LostInACrowd: Jerry tries it - with varied success - few times throughout the movie. And when it ''doesn't'' work, he instead incites the crowd to panic, providing distraction anyway.
44	* MadScientist: Dr. Jonas. Including brainwashing, creating Manchurian agents, and use of psychedelic drugs.
45	* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: The subscribers to Jerry's conspiracy theory newsletter all die suddenly from heart attacks. He unsurprisingly says they were drugged by the CIA to make it look this way. Jerry himself later nearly suffers this in the hospital, but switches his chart with the patient sharing his room, who soon dies from a sudden heart attack.
46	* ManchurianAgent: Dr. Jonas creates this. [[spoiler:Jerry was this.]]
47	* MushroomSamba: We're shown a bit of how Jerry's perceptions are altered after he gets injected with LSD and subject to torture. Not played for laughs.
48	* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailers laid out the tale of a nut who it turns out actually has the right theory. The actual movie was different and some viewers felt the trailer offered the more interesting story.
49	* NotMeThisTime: Dr. Jonas claims responsibility for all known assassination attempts except the Reagan shooting.
50	-->'''Jonas:''' That all ended when John Hinkley shot Ronald Reagan (beat) Oh, that wasn't us.
51	* OvertOperative: For all that Jonas's forces are meant to be a covert unit, they are blindingly obvious while in motion. Even their "stealth" helicopters are readily visible as men rappel into the streets.
52	* PistolWhipping: Jerry uses a pistol to knock out a government agent.
53	* ProductionThrowback: When Jerry is attempting to pull LostInACrowd in a cinema, the barely visible film on the screen is ''Film/{{Ladyhawke}}''. The title is not mentioned anywhere, but it was directed by Creator/RichardDonner.
54	* ProfoundByPopSong: When Jerry (a troubled DerangedTaxiDriver with a head full of bad wiring) tries telling Alice he loves her, he ends up awkwardly quoting lyrics from "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by Music/ThePolice. Alice lampshades it immediately.
55	* ProperlyParanoid: Jerry is super paranoid. [[spoiler: Given that he escaped a brainwashing facility and was a ManchurianAgent proves he's right.]]
56	* SinisterSurveillance: How they keep track of some people as they have the compulsion to buy ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye'' every so often.
57	** It's implied that Music/JohnLennon's [[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed assassin]] might have been brainwashed in the same way, since he was obsessed with it.
58	%%* SmugSnake: Dr. Jonas.
59	* StalkerWithACrush: Jerry probably qualifies: he peeps through Alice's window, bugs her at work, and maintains a StalkerShrine. He is, however, harmless (to her, at least).
60	* TitleDrop: Jerry's newsletter is called ''Conspiracy Theory''.
61	* TooBrokenToBreak: Discussed: after Dr. Jonas captures Jerry and (falsely) tells him Alice is dead, a despondent Jerry mutters, "Then you can't hurt me anymore." Jonas's smirking response: "I'll be the judge of that."
62	* TrustPassword: Alice believes Jerry when he says [[spoiler: he didn't kill her father and in-fact fought his brainwashing and befriended him. How does she know that? "He made great coffee."]]
63	* WaxingLyrical:
64	-->'''Jerry:''' I -- I resolve to call you up a thousand times a day and, um, ask you if you'll marry me in some old fashioned way. And every -- everything you do is magic.
65	-->'''Alice:''' [[LampshadeHanging Those are ''song lyrics'', Jerry.]]
66	* YouKilledMyFather: In the stables, Jerry remembers this is where Alice's father died. Although he wasn't the killer, Alice jumps to conclusions and assaults him.
67	-->'''Alice:''' Did he see you coming, Jerry? Huh? ''[pushes him down, attacks him]'' Did he beg for his life? You put a gun to his head and you shot him, didn't you? Didn't you? He died in the dirt, like an animal! Jerry, you killed my father! Answer me! I have to know!

Context Film / ConspiracyTheory