The world loves a good conspiracy. Be it the events of 9/11, the death of Princess Diana, or the first men on the Moon – the masses can’t help but suspect that something else is happening behind the scenes, and usually something sinister. As such, the conspiracy thriller has been a popular subgenre over the years, and continues to intrigue audiences.
Next week sees the DVD and Blu-ray release of THE DEBT, the latest conspiracy thriller from director John Madden. Starring Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Sam Worthington, THE DEBT spans 30 years and tells of a plot against three Mossad agents. To celebrate the release, THN has compiled its five favourite conspiracy movies…
5. WATCHMEN (2009)
In the last twelve years, film producers have turned the comic book world inside out, each looking to make a hefty profit on its spandex-clad star players. Of all the modern comic adaptations, none has been more faithful to the source material than Zack Snyder’s WATCHMEN, based on the seminal graphic novel by celebrated comics writer Alan Moore. That Snyder’s version remains so close to the original book is a testament to those responsible for adapting it; Moore’s work is a sprawling behemoth, and – like any good conspiracy – is intricately woven through multiple narrative strands.
Set in an alternative timeline, the story follows a band of outlawed costumed vigilantes, each of whom has taken their own path following the US victory in Vietnam. Some live in obscurity, so remain fugitives, and some are used by the government as lethal weapons. However, the former Watchmen must cross paths once again when one of their number, The Comedian, is assassinated. The former heroes soon discover a plot to change the course of human history. Snyder’s adaptation is a thematic and visual powerhouse, and proves than even superheroes can find themselves as victims of an old-fashioned conspiracy.
4. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976)
American politics of the 20th Century provoked a huge interest in the conspiracy theory, which is hardly surprising: aside from numerous assassinations of key political figures, in the early 1970s the world’s most powerful man was caught with his hands in the till and telling fibs to the American people. Be it the burglary of Democratic offices, crooked money trails, wiretapping revelations, and resignation of President Nixon, the events of the Watergate scandal shocked the US to its very core. When the incident found its way to the big screen in ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, ‘Washington Post’ journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein took centre stage; played by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, the duo investigated the conspiracy and revealed the truth to the American public, all of which led to Nixon’s downfall.
Directed by the acclaimed Alan J. Pakula, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN gets under the skin of the Watergate scandal: from secret parking lot meetings to subdued telephone conversations, the tension is almost unbearable, and the facts of the story utterly gripping. The film also boasts great supporting turns from Jason Robards and Jane Alexander, and is flawlessly scripted and paced. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN goes beyond the conspiracy and reveals the truth.
3. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997)
Based on the James Ellroy novel of the same name, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is a rare type of conspiracy story: despite complex and dense plotting, it’s driven by expertly-constructed characters, each of which is brought to life by a phenomenal array of acting talent. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is the film that cemented both Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce as mainstream talent, and proved what we already knew about Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, and Kim Basinger. The film also brought home two Academy Awards and is regarded as a modern noir classic.
Directed by Curtis Hanson, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL tells of police corruption in the early 1950s, and spins an intricate web of murder, blackmail, and prostitution around a multiple homicide, loosely based on a real event. Hanson’s co-written screenplay also features back-story from Ellroy’s ‘The Big Nowhere’, (another of the books in his ‘L.A. Quartet’), and packs in a staggering amount of plot, character development, and raw tension. The true brilliance of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL’s is that it represents what every great conspiracy is really about: beneath a seemingly simplistic exterior lies something corrupt and indecent, in this case 1950s Los Angeles (the ‘City of Angels’). And remember – just the facts, Jack… just the facts…
2. TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011)
Despite a bonanza of blockbuster brilliance last summer – RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, THOR, and X-MEN: FIRST, to name a few – it was a more low-key and cerebral film that dominated the public consciousness. Upon its release Tomas Alfredson’s TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY immediately set tongues wagging with awards talk. And for good reason too: beautifully shot, masterfully adapted, and driven by sublime performances all round, the film was a worthy successor to the 1979 TV mini series starring Alec Guinness. It seems that no amount of Apes, Norse Gods or superheroes could match a battle of wits between a few dusty old relics of the Cold War…
Based on the John Le Carré novel of the same name, TINKER TAILOR follows George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a retired British Intelligence Agent who returns to action to discover the identity of a mole within ‘The Circus’. Smiley enters into a world of distrust and suspicion, unsure of who remains on ‘our side’ and who has defected to the KGB. The films unravels in a non-linear structure, and is told from a collection of character’s whose point-of-view is not always to be trusted; as such TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is complex but utterly fascinating storytelling.
1. JFK (1991)
When it comes to conspiracy theories, there’s one that stands above all others: the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The incident remains one of the significant events of the 20th Century, and become one of the world’s great mysteries. The questions raised are numerous – did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? Was Kennedy the victim of a CIA plot? Was there indeed a gunman on the grassy knoll? – questions that Oliver Stone set out to explored in the powerful JFK.
The film tells the story of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, who launched an investigation into the shooting, and remains the only man to bring anyone to trial for Kennedy’s assassination. Though some of the theories put forward (and Stone explores numerous) have been discredited since, the film remains compulsive viewing, and exposes the holes in the ‘official’ version of events. Garrison is played by Kevin Costner, who was still Hollywood’s Golden Boy back in 1991, and he’s supported by an impressive cast, most notably Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Gary Oldman, and Donald Sutherland.
At three hours, JFK is hardly light viewing, but it’s far from laborious; each and every minute is gripping, each nugget of truth fascinating, and every new theory as intriguing as the last. Stone’s complex narrative all builds towards one moment: a courtroom screening of the assassination footage, an image as brutal and shocking anything ever seen in cinemas. Oliver Stone has rarely exceeded this conspiracy masterpiece – a compelling and enigmatic dissection of the United States’ most infamous murder.
THE DEBT is available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray 23rd January
