10 Conspiracy Movies That Will Make You Paranoid
1. The Conversation
The real tragedy of The Conversation isn't its ending (which is devastatingly effective), but the fact it released the same year as The Godfather Part II.
1974 was the year Francis Ford Coppola took the Academy by storm, and while The Conversation was well received, its Blowup-style tale of a surveillance contractor uncovering a conspiracy stood no chance of matching the drama of the Corleone family.
That isn't to say that Coppola's other 1974 classic wasn't well received either - it was. During awards season, The Conversation was nominated for three Oscars (including best picture) and five BAFTAs, and while awards alone won't intimate the film's genius, it does go some way in illustrating just how magnificent Coppola's critique of the Watergate era truly was.
Following the exploits of Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), an isolated surveillance expert with a shady past caught up in even shadier circumstances, The Conversation excels in driving home the terror of surveillance technology. Bugs, wiretaps and more are all used to devastating effect, and in driving home the point that nowhere - not even your home - is safe, The Conversation is a tour-de-force in storytelling excellence.
What conspiracy thrillers manage to get under your skin? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!