'Kooky theories' fill latest Gibson flick

"They" say that even paranoid people have enemies.

Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) proves "them" right in Conspiracy Theory. Gibson plays a New York City cab driver who has a theory for everything. Did you know that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration plans to kill the president by having the Space Shuttle create an earthquake in Turkey where the president is visiting? Jerry thinks so, and it's just one of his kooky theories.

"They" and "them" are those involved in conspiracies. Jerry has a conspiracy to fit every headline, but no one will believe him. He takes some of his concerns to Alice Sutton (Julia Roberts), a Justice Department attorney who tolerates his presence but doesn't believe him either. Sutton is busy trying to figure out who murdered her father, a prominent attorney, several years ago.

The first half of the movie is marked by a wild, psychedelic trip through Gibson's paranoia, leaving the viewer to wonder where the plot is. Besides spouting theories to his customers, Gibson has locks on his refrigerator and coffee cans. He keeps a beer bottle on his doorknob to tell him if someone tries to enter his apartment. He sits in his taxi outside Roberts' apartment at night and watches her walk on her treadmill.

The turning point for the movies and the plot comes when Gibson has a close encounter with Dr. Jonas (Patrick Stewart of Star Trek ). He proves more trouble than a crazed Klingon when he nearly bites Stewart's nose off during an interrogation/kidnapping. The race is on to find out what Gibson subconsciously knows but can't remember. Of course the death of Roberts' father is intertwined with Gibson's secret.

The twists and turns of the second-half of the movie are the only things which save the movie from merely being a crackpot's delusional thesis. Although Gibson staggers through the first half in trying to make a convincing crackpot, he flourishes with his characteristic charisma when the actions of "them" lend credibility to his theories. He and Roberts build a believable chemistry during their mutual quest for survival and truth.

Knoxville native Cylk Cozart plays FBI agent Lowry, a man who seems trustworthy, but who can you really trust? The truth is out there, if you can get past "them."