Conspiracy thrillers, many of which are based on conspiracy theories, form a very interesting genre in popular culture. The stories are truly captivating, with the right mix of suspense, drama and mystery. A major reason behind the popularity of the best conspiracy thriller movies is perhaps the fact that they sometimes focus on real events which may have transpired in ways that left a sense of paranoia, void or questions in the minds of the people. In other cases, such movies appear to cater to the ever-present fears of the people through fictional narratives of something that may or may not play out in the near future.
Indeed, a fact about most conspiracy theories is that they are fueled when the information on something very important may have been left incomplete or muddled. Illuminati, Freemason, QAnon – conspiracy theory peddlers often point fingers at such ‘shadowy organisations’ as having a hand or more in some of the most cryptic incidents in history. From Area 51 and the moon landing to the Bermuda Triangle, anything can become a subject of conspiracy theories.
Why are conspiracy theory movies so popular?
While almost all conspiracy theories are nothing more than misinformation created and disseminated, usually by the political right-wing, to provoke people for a certain cause, they successfully tap into the minds of large groups due to their inherent fears, anxieties and an ingrained, though unfounded, belief of a hidden agenda behind some unexpected development.
The best conspiracy thriller movies of all time often tell stories in which powerful forces are seen as manipulating events that may affect the world without anyone getting a hint of it, except, maybe, a saviour hero character who tries to warn all. This kind of storytelling that exploits a general sense of mistrust of the people in their governments or other institutions deemed to be ‘too powerful’ certainly has a massive fanbase.
But movies of this genre have to have at least a semblance of plausibility in them and, at the same time, should certainly share elements of suspense thrillers.
Some may say that the Men in Black franchise is an example of alien conspiracy movies because it is built around the unverified stories of men wearing black suits allegedly working for the US government having visited those who claimed to have seen unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Moreover, the franchise itself is more sci-fi fantasy than conspiracy thriller as nothing about it is remotely believable.
Costa-Gavras’ acclaimed film Z (1969) is a deft political thriller but does not neatly fit into this understanding of conspiracy thrillers as facts around its subject – the assassination of progressive Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis by right-wing zealots with the help of the right-wing government – were widely known.
Sometimes, however, conspiracy theories could be so complex that questions around them are raised time and again by even rational minds. Take for example the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. Though he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald, the latter’s own murder at the hands of American nightclub owner Jack Ruby two days after the assassination and the circumstances in which the assassination took place have led to an incredibly high number of conspiracy theories that continue to this day. In the theories, many of which are published works of literature, everyone from the Soviets to CIA and shady criminal organisations to former US president George H.W. Bush has been accused of having planned the assassination.
Thus, due to its enduring mystery, the JFK assassination has been a highly interesting subject for filmmakers, which is why there are quite a few thriller movies centred around the conspiracy theory on who killed Kennedy.
Apart from political incidents, including government corruption and corporate greed, conspiracy theory thriller movies may also focus on alleged secrets concerning religion. The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels and Demons (2009) – two movies based on Dan Brown’s novels of the same name – are the best examples. They don’t make this list due to their IMDb ratings, but are worth watching. Similarly, movies such as Capricorn One (1977), Winter Kills (1979), Conspiracy Theory (1997) and Interview with the Assassin (2002), with conspiracy angles ranging from political to space, are also quite popular with fans of the genre even though they have low ratings.
Best conspiracy thriller movies to watch
Note: Only those films with a minimum of 12K votes are considered.
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The ODESSA File (1974)
Directed by: Ronald Neame
Cast: Jon Voight, Mary Tamm, Maximilian Schell, Maria Schell
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes
IMDb rating: 7
Synopsis: Peter Miller, a journalist, comes in possession of a diary of a Holocaust survivor who recently committed suicide. The diary points him to a high-ranking Nazi SS officer named Eduard Roschmann, who was leading a life of luxury in West Germany despite his crimes. During his dangerous probe, Peter learns about ODESSA – a secret organisation of former Nazi members.
More about the film: Though ODESSA is believed to have existed till 1952, it became popular only after English author Frederick Forsyth wrote the novel in 1972 on which this movie is based. Roschmann was a real-life Nazi SS officer, but the novel (and the film) present a fictionalised version of him.
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
Cast: Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason, Lilli Palmer
Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes
IMDb rating: 7
Synopsis: Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman (Olivier) is altered to a strange Nazi conspiracy in the 1970s by an associate. When he investigates, Ezra makes two startling discoveries – one, Nazi physician Dr. Josef Mengele (Peck) is still alive, and, two, he has created 94 Hitler clones who can destroy all of humanity.
More about the film: This critically well-received conspiracy thriller is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Ira Levin. The film received three Oscar nominations. It is regarded as one of the first movies to depict the evil side of cloning.
What makes this film interesting is that there was indeed a Josef Mengele, infamously known as the “Angel of Death” for his actions at Auschwitz. He was still alive and living in São Paulo, Brazil, when the film was made. Mengele died in 1979, but his death was only publicly known in 1985.
Image credit: IMDb
Nixon (1995)
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe, Ed Harris
Runtime: 3 hours 12 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.1
Synopsis: As the Watergate scandal threatens to force him out of power, the life of US President Richard Nixon (Hopkins) is presented from his time as a young boy to his eventual political demise.
More about the film: Though it is based on the life of disgraced former US president Richard Nixon, the film showcases fictional events, depicts part of his personality in a way that has been officially contradicted, and relies on conspiracy theories around him.
The film was a box office bomb but was critically very well-received and was nominated for four Academy Awards.
Wag the Dog (1997)
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.1
Synopsis: Spin doctor Conrad Brean (De Niro) is called in by presidential adviser Winifred Ames (Heche) for help when the US president lands in trouble over a sex scandal just weeks before the elections. Conrad recruits Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Hoffman) to concoct a fake war in Albania to divert the media’s attention.
More about the film: Wag the Dog has become a favourite of conspiracy theorists because it ironically mirrored real-life events that developed soon after the film’s release. The Clinton–Lewinsky scandal erupted a month after the film hit theatres. The American media, including CNN, noted similarities with the film’s plot and how the US government carried out military interventions around the world at almost the same time when something major about the scandal came up.
The film itself was a hit with both critics and audiences. It was nominated for numerous top honours, including two Oscars.
Image credit: © 1997 New Line Cinema./IMDb
They Live (1988)
Directed by: John Carpenter
Cast: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster
Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.2
Synopsis: A drifter named Nada (Piper) comes across a pair of sunglasses which allow the wearer to see messages designed to keep the people in control and aliens posing as social elites of the society without anyone having a clue. Nada decides to free the people and fight back against world domination.
More about the film: They Live is actually a commentary on unbridled capitalism, but it is widely hailed as one of the top conspiracy thriller movies of all time for a number of reasons. One of them includes its thematic depiction of the world being controlled by a secret group of powerful elites – something that conspiracy theorists love connecting to the Illuminati.
Dark City (1998)
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Cast: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.6
Synopsis: A man named John Murdoch (Sewell) finds himself on the run from a mysterious group known as The Strangers as well as authorities who want him for murders he has no recollection of. In his attempt to solve the mystery, John discovers a secret that can alter the belief of humanity.
More about the film: Dark City is a neo-noir sci-fi movie whose story is a blend of several widely believed conspiracy theories that a world inhabited by humans may be a simulation controlled by otherworldly beings and that human minds are being manipulated.
Directed by: Philip Kaufman
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Brooke Adams
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.7
Synopsis: Matthew Bennell (Sutherland), who works at San Francisco health department, initially rejects his colleague, Elizabeth Driscoll’s (Adams) observation about the odd behaviour of her boyfriend. But when more such cases emerge, Matthew realises that something terrible is happening to people.
More about the film: Based on Jack Finney’s 1954 novel The Body Snatchers, this 1978 film is the second big screen adaptation of the book. It is a sci-fi horror movie about aliens replacing humans as emotionless duplicates. But even though the first adaptation from 1956 by Don Siegel has a slightly higher critical rating, it is the second film which ramps up the conspiracy theory angle in the story.
Directed by: John Frankenheimer
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury
Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.9
Synopsis: A platoon of US soldiers are captured near the end of the Korean War. Upon their release some time later, the platoon commander, Captain Bennett Marco (Sinatra), is disturbed by nightmares in which he sees his men getting killed by his own squad member, Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Harvey). But Raymond was also his fellow POW and is now a Medal of Honor recipient. Bennett decides to find the truth and chances upon an unbelievable conspiracy.
More about the film: At the time of the film’s release, there were Americans who believed in conspiracy theories about brainwashing of their POWs by the Communists. The film, which is based on the novel by Richard Condon, was widely hailed at the time of its release, particularly since it coincided with the Cuban Missile Crisis when anti-Communist sentiments were very high in the US. The Manchurian Candidate was nominated for two Oscars and is widely hailed as one of the best thrillers of all time.
JFK (1991)
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Cast: Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Laurie Metcalf
Runtime: 3 hours 9 minutes
IMDb rating: 8
Synopsis: New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Costner) decides to continue his investigation into the Kennedy assassination even after the murder of prime accused Lee Harvey Oswald (Oldman). He faces resistance from the government but continues to believe that there was more than one shooter and that New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw (Jones) may have had a hand in the assassination.
More about the film: The film is one of the best cinematic adaptations of the conspiracy theories around the JFK assassination. It is based on real events: Jim Garrison indeed brought Clay Shaw to trial, but the case was dismissed in an hour. The film was nominated for eight Oscars and won two – Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. Its other accolades include two BAFTAs and one Golden Globe.
The Tashkent Files (2019)
Directed by: Vivek Agnihotri
Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Tripathi, Pallavi Joshi, Prakash Belawadi, Mandira Bedi
Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.1
Synopsis: A panel of experts investigate the mysterious death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second prime minister of India, in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, a day after he signed a peace treaty to end the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War.
More about the film: Indian cinema is usually not known for producing conspiracy thrillers, which makes The Tashkent Files a rare Bollywood film in this genre. Apart from the death of Subhas Chandra Bose in 1945, it is Shastri’s death that is widely seen as one of the biggest mysteries in the Indian political scene. The official version says that Shastri suffered a heart attack, but circumstances around his death have been widely discussed and questions have been raised by eminent Indian academics, historians and journalists.
The Tashkent Files was a sleeper hit upon release and was awarded two National Film Awards – India’s most prominent honours in cinema.
Hero and Featured images: IMDb
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
