The definition of a Conspiracy Theory refers to the belief that unpleasant things which happen usually in relation to government actions, but not always refined to this are planned by people who want to cause difficulties and that such things do not, and will not, happen by chance or without the control of such parties. You put something up on the cinema screen based around that and add complex plots, gritty dialogue, base it in the believability of the everyday, occasionally throw in a devastating, brutal and very dark twist and I am most definitely there to view. Im, as you can gather, a HUGE fan of the conspiracy thriller so culling the list down to my favourite TWENTY was a hard task. Along the way I had to gut-wrenchingly cut some genuinely terrific films. So, before we get into what Im calling my twenty favourite conspiracy movies I have to pay a special mention to the ones that got lost along the way. Namely, and in no particular order: Costa Gravas Z, David Finchers The Game, Philip Kauffmans 70s remake of Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers, Mark Pellingtons Arlington Road, John Frankenheimers Black Sunday, Ken Loachs Route Irish, Alfred Hitchcocks re-do of his own The Man Who Knew Too Much, John Schlesingers Marathon Man, Tony Gilroys Michael Clayton, Steven Spielbergs Minority Report, Kevin MacDonalds State of Play, Harold Beckers City Hall, Curtis Hansons LA Confidential and yeah, Im going to throw it in there DJ Carusos Eagle Eye which I have a huge soft-spot and think its first two acts are reflective of a great modern conspiracy thriller But, man alive, that third act is a damaging dumb-arse mess! This Top 20 is not all-encompassing and definitive. It represents MY all time favourite great conspiracy movies. The list may not be reflective of the general critical consensus overall.