Making his writing debut on Back to the Movies Devin Baker gives us the low down on the Top 10 Conspiracy Films of all time.
Ever feel like your government is watching you? That your garden gnome is actually a CIA surveillance camera in disguise? That somewhere out there a shadowy group is plotting the world’s demise?
Then make sure to keep your tin foil hat on, and your heart beat up, because these movies will keep your trust down and your paranoia at an all time high.
Top 10 Conspiracy Films
These ten films are as good as it gets at making you sweat and making you wonder, here are the top ten conspiracy films of all time:
10. Francis Ford Copolla’s The Conversation (1974)
Francis Ford Copolla’s tale of surveillance, paranoia, and the unknown is conspiracy content at its finest.
The Conversation manages to capture that suffocating feeling of thinking you know everything and at the same time feeling as if you know nothing at all.
Gene Hackman shines as Harry Caul, a reclusive private contractor who specializes in audio recordings and surveillance, when tasked with recording a conversation between a man and a woman, he finds himself asking more questions about his work than ever before.
What unfolds is a gripping, roller coaster like journey to the truth and meaning behind the conversation he has eavesdropped upon.
9. Sydney Pollack’s The Parallax View (1974)
When you think of a conspiracy, perhaps the first two things that come to your mind are government assassinations and cover ups. If that’s you, then Alan J. Puluka’s terror filled road to the truth behind the death of a promising politician is just for you.
At a time where government trust was at an all time low, Paluka’s film convincingly plays off the paranoia of the time, telling the story of a daring journalist who tries to take on the powers that be almost all on his own.
Political assassinations and corporate assassins are all that’s needed for any conspiracy, throw on an amazing soundtrack and a stellar performance by Warren Beatty and you have one of the best and genuinely terrifying conspiracy movies of all time.
8. Tony Scott’s Enemy of the State (1998)
Long after the 70’s were over, the skepticism of the government and it’s surveillance practices never left the minds of many.
Tony Scott’s on the run thriller stars Will Smith as a man in the wrong place at the wrong time, who now finds himself the target of the government but can’t figure out for the life of him why.
What unfolds is a tale of deception, paranoia, and lies that all lead back to the government and their intrusive plans for the American people, a rather foreshadowing tale of the decade that followed where government surveillance reached new heights around the globe.
7. Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton (2007)
Tony Gilroy’s character driven award winning film about a struggling fixer lawyer for a powerful law-firm is a grounded yet still tantalizing conspiracy film.
Gilroy’s film doesn’t jump to the government level of conspiracy seen in most of the conspiracy films on this list but instead it focuses on big business and how such entities could pose just as much if not more of a danger to the people.
George Clooney is great and very convincing as Michael Clayton and the pair up of him and Tilda Swinton take the film to the next level, making its mark as one of the best conspiracy movies of all time.
6. Brian De Palma’s Blow Out (1981)
Blow Out is a steady film that is consistent with suspense and paranoia from the start to the very odd and dark finish.
Brian De Palma’s film about a sound specialist who unintentionally stumbles upon the assassination of a promising politician, is one that borrows concepts from existing conspiracy films of the time, but is ultimately good enough to stand on it’s own and bring its own suffocating paranoia to the minds of viewers.
John Travolta and Nancy Allen click in this film with excellent chemistry that makes the journey to the truth all the more enjoyable and one that the viewers want to invest their time and minds in.
5. Sydney Pollack’s Three Days of the Condor (1974)
When you think of conspiracy movies and the 1970’s, two things should come to mind; Robert Redford and Three Days of the Condor.
Considered to be the standard for conspiracy films to live up to, Sydney Pollack’s spy thriller still holds up to today’s and as one of the better ones of all time. Robert Redford stars as Joe Turner, a CIA codebreaker who suddenly finds himself the lone survivor of his code breaking unit and on the run from the same government that employed him.
The film boasts some great philosophical and still time relevant dialogue as well as gripping suspense and timely twists making this a classic and still staple in the spy and conspiracy genre.
4. Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential (1997)
Often overlooked as more of a detective mystery film, L.A. Confidential is in fact just as much of a conspiracy film then any of the other entries on the list.
Centering around the rather lawlessness of the Los Angeles scene of the 1950’s, Curtis Hanson’s tale of deceit, corruption, and murder centering around L.A. detectives is one that needs to be seen by all.
Packed with a star studded cast, this film is truly a masterpiece of cinema, one that has you second guessing throughout but ties all up the necessary loose ends before the credits roll.
A fresh take from the bigger government and big business conspiracy films, this police driven conspiracy film stays grounded at the local level and even inspired a video game set around the same premise.
3. Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017)
Widely known for his comedy centered content throughout most of his filmography, it certainly was quite a shock when fans learned that Jordan Peele would be directing a psychological horror film, but in short he delivered.
The film centers around a young African-American photographer who takes a weekend trip with his white girlfriend to visit her parents for the first time.
As the weekend progresses he makes a number of disturbing discoveries that leads him to a truth that is more sinister than he could ever imagine.
The film explores the race issues that still plague America today and addresses a widely theorized conspiracy theory about missing african americans in the world.
2. John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The oldest entry on the list, The Manchurian Candidate has stood the test of time and still matches up and tops the line of conspiracies films that have followed after it.
John Frankenheimer’s film is a terrifying one, one that surely left more than a few viewers sleeping with the light on at night.
The film centers around a former prisoner of war who has been brainwashed into an assassin for the benefit of international communist.
At a time where the Cold War was still very much a weight on the shoulders of Americans, this film expertly plays on the country’s fears of the time, nonetheless with a few shifts in thinking, the story could be applied today or in anytime and still terrifying all the same.
1. Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991)
Often discredited due to the possible exaggerations made by Oliver Stone, there’s still no doubt that the directors 3 hour conspiracy masterpiece is one of and in the case of this list, the best conspiracy film to fill our screens.
From start to finish viewers are hammered with twist and “evidence” or at least reasonable doubt surrounding the assassination of JFK in 1963.
There’s no film on this list that had more of an actual impact on it’s viewers than JFK, for after the movie’s release and nationwide popularity the U.S. government moved its JFK assasination document release date from 2029 to 2017.
The film is a must watch for any conspiracy theorist or anyone interested in possible alternatives in the reasoning behind the death of the president.
Top 10 Conspiracy Films article by Devin Baker
