The conspiracy-theory theme can be found in numerous films of the past half-century. Looking to explore these movies? Get started with this brief list of popular movies with conspiracy-theory themes, listed in no particular order.

• The Parallax View (1974).  From director Alan J. Pakula, the story of this film follows a reporter (Warren Beatty) as he investigates a mysterious corporation that seems to be behind high profile assassinations.  The result is an entertaining and well-crafted, if  slightly dated, movie that builds on that era’s growing public suspicion of high-level conspiracy.

• All the President’s Men (1976).  Director Pakula continued the conspiracy theme in this riveting retelling of the all-too-true Watergate conspiracy and cover-up.  Based on the acclaimed book by Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein, the film stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as the journalists who discover and begin to untangle the secrets that brought down the Nixon presidency.

• Capricorn One ( 1978 ). Though a film that sits squarely in the “B” movie category, this entertaining story follows conspirators inside NASA as they fake a mission to Mars and then engage in a deadly cover-up on a massive scale. Complete with conspiracy theory hallmarks such as black helicopters, this movie has a lot in common with actual conspiracy theories that  claim the real-life NASA mission to the Moon in 1969 was also fake.  Directed by Peter Hyams and starring Elliott Gould, Sam Waterston, James Brolin, O.J. Simpson and other Hollywood regulars.

• Big Jim McLain (1952).  Western star John Wayne stars in this story of an FBI agent hot on the trail of communist conspirators in Honolulu during the Korean War era. An excellent example of the anti-communist films amidst the tensions of the McCarthy era.

• JFK (1991). Director Oliver Stone’s account of the alleged conspiracy behind the Kennedy assassination is in many ways the mother lode of all conspiracy-theory films. Deftly blending traditional Hollywood staging, real archival footage, and faux documentary segments, the director presents a film that makes for compelling viewing, even if it is questionable history.
  

• Seven Days in May (1964). An under-rated thriller that was released shortly after the Kennedy assassination, director John Frankenheimer presents a chilling story that recounts an attempted military coup at the height of the Cold War.  This outstanding film features stellar performances from Hollywood legends Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Ava Gardner, and Fredric March.
  

• The Manchurian Candidate (1962). By the time he made Seven Days in May, Frankenheimer had already made news by directing The Manchurian Candidate. It tells the story of a communist attempt to assassinate leading American political figures by brainwashing an unwitting American soldier. With stand-out performances by Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury.
  

• Chinatown (1974). Sometimes not recognized as a conspiracy film at all, this late example of film noir movie-making is, in fact, steeped in conspiracy story-lines. Roman Polanski directed Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway star in this detective story with  many layers of deception and intrigue.
  

• Three Days of the Condor (1975). The late Sydney Pollack directed this Robert Redford vehicle that follows the story of a low-level CIA analyst caught in a web of murder and deception.  The story suggests that conspiracy is found not only originating from outside the United States, but also from deep within U.S. government itself.

• Conspiracy Theory (1997). Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts star in this story about an ordinary man who thinks he sees conspiracies all around him.  When he later stumbles onto a real conspiracy, he finds that his life is in danger and there are few who will believe him.

Read about these and many other movies, and about the times in which they were created, in the book Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics (2008) from Praeger Publishers.