Paranoid and Suspenseful
Rating: 8 of 10 
Jerry Fletcher (Mel Gibson) is alone; alone against the world. He flees his past which is hunting him at the same time; he has dedicated his life to conspiracy theories, becoming a master in recognizing the masks around him, of unveiling secrets which try to remain secret. But his only real human contact (Julia Roberts) doesn't believe him. That changes when she gets the privilege to enter his life. She experiences firsthand the terror Jerry is going through; and she starts to believe him. Now she is being hunted, too - both are fleeing a secret machinery for a still unknown reason. With some plot developments and shifting alliances on the way, the hunt procedes.
Apart from the acting of the main characters, this film is an interesting composition. The music enjoys kind of a sarcastic undertone. In addition to that, the film is sort of a guidebook to conspiracy theories. Black helicopters, governmental assassins, shadow governmental groups within the intelligence community, surveillance on the grandest scheme. Patrick Stewart seems to enjoy being the bad guy time and again, and Mel Gibson is as heroic as ever. But just one question: Is it coincidence for such films as this one and 'Enemy of the State' appearing during the era of The X-Files?
December 29th, 1998
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