The Da Vinci Code makes its way to video this week, so I thought I’d throw in a couple unconventional conspiracy-flavored movies for consideration. I’m not going to include your typical conspiracy-related films like JFK, The Manchurian Candidate, or The Parallax View because that would be just boring. Instead we’ll look at some other movies further down the list. Enjoy these movies, but if you’re like me, don’t expect to get much sleep afterwards.

Arlington Road
Directed by: Mark Pellington
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis, Mason Gamble, Spencer Treat Clark

This is a terrific little 1999 thriller with uber-creepy performances by Robbins, Cusack and little Mason Gamble. Jeff Bridges plays a college professor who begins to suspect his new neighbor (Robbins) is going to bomb a building. The ending is a rip-off of another famous conspiracy film (which I won’t name for fear of ruining either film), but it’s an earned rip-off. This movie gets inside your head. Director Mark Pellington does a great job of keeping the suspense amped up, evoking fears sparked by the Oklahoma City bombings. I still have nightmares of Joan Cusack’s bizarre smile.

Conspiracy Theory
Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts and Patrick Stewart

I get the feeling no one really likes this movie, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the wonderfully bizarre work of Mel Gibson. His Jerry Fletcher is a paranoid loser who spouts off conspiracy theories like they’re going out of style. Eventually, he gets one right and the bad guys come knockin’. There was much ado about the movie because of the pairing of Gibson and Roberts, but check out Patrick Stewart as a mustached evil dude.

The Spanish Prisoner
Directed by: David Mamet
Starring: Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara, Ricky Jay, Felicity Huffman

This is a slight cheat because it’s mostly a con movie, but it also works as a conspiracy thriller when all is said and done. The plot is kind of complicated, but it works because the details are kept vague, and the film instead focuses on character. Campbell Scott’s Joe Ross has designed something that will make the company he works for very rich, but we don’t really know what it is. We just know a lot of people are interested (like the briefcases in Pulp Fiction or Ronin, which was also written by Mamet). Mamet is a magician with this material, and any movie that has Steve Martin playing the bad guy has to be worth a look. This movie sealed my fate as a Mamet-head.

A Beautiful Mind
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg and Josh Lucas

If you know nothing about the life of John Nash, the first half of the film works as a great paranoid thriller on first viewing. It isn’t, of course, actually that. Credit screenwriter Akiva Goldsman — who I previously always considered a hack — for nailing a wonderful and interesting script that works on a variety of levels. With the exception of maybe The Insider, I’m not sure Crowe has given a better, more full performance than this. I loved Denzel in Training Day, but he was robbed.

The Game
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, Armin Mueller-Stahl and James Rebhorn

This has got to be one of the most underrated movies of the ’90s. This could-be conspiracy film keeps you guessing until the very last shot as to what is really going on. Is Douglas’ character part of a grand conspiracy or a grand game? Director David Fincher’s deft approach makes this a mesmerizing thriller. When the final curtain is finally drawn during the film’s climax, the movie becomes more than a paranoid thriller, packing a well earned emotional punch.