Shadow Conspiracy

R

Released Jan 31, 1997

1 hr. 43 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Action

List

7%

30 Reviews

Tomatometer

17%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Presidential aide Bobby Bishop (Charlie Sheen) runs into an old professor who tells him of a secret plot to assassinate the president (Sam Waterston). But before Bobby can learn anything more, his friend is shot and killed. Bobby turns to Amanda Givens (Linda Hamilton), an old friend who works as a reporter at an influential newspaper. After they uncover a conspiracy to kill many high-level government officials, they must race against time to stop a murderer.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Feb 20

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Shadow Conspiracy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Consensus

Rather than exciting audiences with a thrilling race against time, Shadow Conspiracy suggests there may be a secret cabal duping talented actors into selecting woefully deficient scripts.

Read Critics Reviews

Charles T

A very good action director teams with a big name cast to create one of the silliest political conspiracy films ever made. Bobby Bishop (Charlie Sheen) is a hot-shot special assistant to the President (Sam Waterston). He wheels, he deals, he charms, and everybody in Washington, D. C. loves him so much you expect adoption proceedings to begin. His boss, Chief of Staff Conrad (Donald Sutherland) speaks of him with both eyes twinkling, while gruff Vice President Saxon (Ben Gazzara) is put off by his shenanigans. One of Bobby's old professors escapes from a house where almost half a dozen of his colleagues are killed by one man (Stephen Lang). The professor has information for Bobby about a shadow government operating in the White House, but is killed by the assassin before he can offer any more help. Bishop is on the run, helped by spunky reporter Amanda (a miscast Linda Hamilton). Everywhere Bobby and Amanda run, the killer is close behind, until the film reveals the true members behind the conspiracy- about an hour after the viewer has figured it out. This had the makings of a first class political suspenser along the lines of "The Manchurian Candidate" or "Seven Days in May." In addition to the cast mentioned above, check out some more names from the end credits: Charles Cioffi, Nicholas Turturro, Theodore Bikel, Gore Vidal, Paul Gleason, and Terry O'Quinn. If their names are not familiar, their faces will be. This kind of experienced cast, and writer Vidal, should have known better. The script is nothing more than Hamilton and Sheen running around Washington, D. C. locations while Lang shoots at them with more ammo than Rambo's gun cabinet- and misses. Incredible holes abound in the screenplay: ace reporter Amanda's first question at a White House press conference is asked as she struts down the press corps room aisle like she was being shown to her seat at a Mets game. Even though she is a top reporter at a big D. C. paper, she has no idea the professor and others have been killed in a giant gun fight in the middle of Georgetown. Bobby and Amanda sneak into the White House, where apparently the Chief of Staff feels no need to lock his office doors. Bobby almost has the entire conspiracy recorded on tape...until he drops the evidence in the river. The finale involves the assassination of a major political figure using a remote control toy. Cosmatos shoots a crisp picture here, but he goes overboard on closeups, and matte shots- where one subject is close to the camera, there is some blurriness in the middle of the screen, and the background subject is also in focus. The music sounds like the incidental score to "Star Wars." In the face of all this goofiness, the cast is lost. Sheen enters every scene out of breath. Gazzara is so grizzled as the vice-president, I cannot imagine him on any political ticket- he makes Joe Biden and Dick Cheney appear cuddly. Waterston is vacuous as the president, why Bobby chooses to remain loyal to him is beyond me. Stephen Lang is so much better than given credit for, but he can do nothing with a bad role. "Shadow Conspiracy" is so serious in its intentions, it turns into an unintentional comedy. The cast and crew should have known better, and now you do.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/17/23

Full Review

steve d

dopey thriller with a terrible script.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There was an audience review mentioning it being bad because Cosmatos not only directed this, but also directed Rambo III. Absolutely false. He did not direct Rambo III (he directed II), and he is not to blame for this disaster. Charlie Sheen is the one responsible for this mess by over stepping his bounds and rewriting large parts of the script. Cosmatos didn't even finish the filming of this movie, going to the hospital of exhaustion. It is a shame that his legacy is tarnished by Sheen. Look at Cosmatos' other work and judge for yourself.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting. Will watch anything with Devastating Donald Sutherland. 1 of 2 movies with Charlie in, that I will watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

dave j

Charlie Sheen's second conspiracy theory movie with the first one called "The Arrival". He plays gov't aid Bobby Bishop stumbling on one involving the political caucus that he works with Amanda Givens(Linda Hunt) to help him.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

william s

Straight to the trash heap for this stinker.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

George P. Cosmatos

Director

Charlie Sheen

Bobby Bishop

Donald Sutherland

Jacob Conrad

Linda Hamilton

Amanda Givens

Stephen Lang

The Agent

Ben Gazzara

Vice President Saxon

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

72%

72%

Patriot Games

TRAILER

for Patriot Games

46%

39%

The Peacemaker

TRAILER

for The Peacemaker

57%

64%

Conspiracy Theory

24%

51%

The Jackal

71%

78%

Enemy of the State

TRAILER

for Enemy of the State

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: D

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

Bland, interminable chase scenes take up so much of the story -- the hackneyed plot doesn't need much exposition -- that the sheer repetitiveness begins to amaze you.

Jul 28, 2009

Full Review

Charlotte O'Sullivan

Time Out

Sadly, Sheen doesn't even look profound. Like a zombie who's spent too much time in the gym, he blunders heavily from one stunt to the next, his pursed lips conveying nothing more than pique.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a somewhat sluggish thriller that never becomes quite as engrossing or enthralling as one might’ve hoped...

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 10, 2023

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...what's truly surprising is that this terrific cast was assembled to deliver such a crazy message...

Rated: 3/5

Dec 4, 2021

Full Review

Maitland McDonagh

TV Guide

Corpses pile up, dreadful secrets are uncovered, and Bishop eventually gets to the bottom of things, a full hour after the least attentive viewer will have figured out who's behind it all.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 28, 2009

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Presidential aide Bobby Bishop (Charlie Sheen) runs into an old professor who tells him of a secret plot to assassinate the president (Sam Waterston). But before Bobby can learn anything more, his friend is shot and killed. Bobby turns to Amanda Givens (Linda Hamilton), an old friend who works as a reporter at an influential newspaper. After they uncover a conspiracy to kill many high-level government officials, they must race against time to stop a murderer.

Director: George P. Cosmatos
Executive Producer: Buzz Feitshans, Andrew G. Vajna
Screenwriter: Adi Hasak, Ric Gibbs
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Cinergi Pictures Entertainment, Hollywood Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 31, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.3M
Sound Mix: Surround, SDDS, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now