A talented action director joined forces with well-known actors to produce what might be the most ridiculous political conspiracy film ever seen. Bobby Bishop, portrayed by Charlie Sheen, holds a key position as a special assistant to the President, played by Sam Waterston. He’s charming and effective, and it seems like everyone in Washington, D.C., adores him so much that adoption papers are practically being drawn up. His supervisor, Chief of Staff Conrad (Donald Sutherland), speaks about Bobby with a twinkle in his eyes, while Vice President Saxon (Ben Gazzara), who has a rougher demeanor, is clearly annoyed by his antics. One of Bobby’s former professors manages to escape from a house where several of his colleagues were killed by a single man (Stephen Lang). The professor possesses information regarding a secret government operating within the White House and intends to share it with Bobby, but he's murdered by the assassin before he can reveal any details. Bishop finds himself on the run, aided by Amanda (Linda Hamilton), a spirited reporter who doesn’t quite seem right for the part. Everywhere Bobby and Amanda go, the killer is close behind until the film finally reveals those involved in the conspiracy—roughly an hour after audiences have already guessed correctly. This had all the elements needed to become a top-tier political thriller, similar to "The Manchurian Candidate" or "Seven Days in May." Beyond the actors previously mentioned, there are other recognizable faces appearing at the end of the credits: Charles Cioffi, Nicholas Turturro, Theodore Bikel, Gore Vidal, Paul Gleason, and Terry O'Quinn. Even if their names aren’t familiar, audiences will recognize them. A cast with this level of experience, along with a writer like Vidal, should have recognized what was happening. The story mostly consists of Hamilton and Sheen running around Washington, D.C., while Lang shoots at them with an unbelievable amount of ammunition—and consistently misses. The screenplay contains numerous implausible plot points: Amanda’s initial question during a White House press conference is asked as she confidently walks down the aisle like she's being escorted to her seat at a Mets game. Despite being a prominent reporter for a major D.C. newspaper, she seems unaware that the professor and others were killed in a massive shootout in Georgetown. Bobby and Amanda sneak into the White House, where it appears the Chief of Staff doesn’t bother locking his office door. Bobby nearly captures the entire conspiracy on tape...until he accidentally drops the evidence into a river. The film culminates with the assassination of an important political figure using a remote-controlled toy. Director Cosmatos delivers visually sharp scenes, but overuses close-ups and matte shots—where one subject is sharply in focus near the camera, there’s some blurriness in the middle of the screen, and the background subject is also clear. The music sounds like it was lifted directly from the soundtrack to "Star Wars." Despite all this silliness, the cast seems lost. Sheen enters every scene winded. Gazzara's portrayal of the vice-president is so gruff that I can’t imagine him on any political ticket—he makes Joe Biden and Dick Cheney appear friendly. Waterston feels empty as the president, and it’s hard to understand why Bobby would remain loyal to him. Stephen Lang deserves more credit for his performance, but he's hampered by a weak role. "Shadow Conspiracy" is so serious in its goals that it unintentionally becomes comedic. The cast and crew should have known better, and now you do too.

Source on TMDB