Paranoia - Movie Review
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
With a strong cast and striking production values, this thriller is sleek enough to hold our interest even if corporate espionage isn't a very exciting topic for the movies. As the title suggests, the film is trying to tap into the fear that our lives are being controlled by technology. But the script never goes anywhere with this idea, instead drifting through the usual plot involving shady bad guys, dark conspiracies and plucky heroics. All of which we've seen far too many times before.
It centres on young technical genius Adam (Hemsworth), who needs cash to pay the medical bills for his ill father (Dreyfuss). Working with his pal Kevin (Till), he goes for a big promotion but is instead sacked by his boss Wyatt (Oldman). The next morning, Wyatt makes Adam an offer he can't refuse: a chance to earn a fortune by spying on chief competitor Goddard (Ford). But this new undercover job brings all kinds of worries as Adam sees shadowy nastiness lurking around every corner. He's also suspicious that a recent one-night stand, Emma (Heard), works for Goddard. And that there's a strange man (Holloway) following his every move.
Rather than explore corrupt corporate culture or the idea that technology has eroded our privacy, the filmmakers create a fairly pedestrian thriller that tries to blind us with fake techno-speak and corny emotions. The plot continually hints that it will get darker and more momentous, but it never does. All of the stakes feel oddly small, the chain of events doesn't quite hang together and the characters never feel like more than rough outlines.
Hemsworth is likeable enough as the everyman at the centre, although his most strenuous acting requirement is to take his shirt off every 10 minutes. Heard's underwritten role is sexy and icy and not much more than that, while strong actors like Davidtz and McMahon (as Adam's handlers) are wasted. The best thing here is the clash of gruff titans Ford and Oldman, who growl through their scenes gleefully. But in the end, the script can't resist a simplistic final showdown followed by a lot of preachy moralising. Which reduces the movie to barely entertaining fluff.
Facts and Figures
Year: 2013
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 106 mins
In Theaters: Friday 16th August 2013
Box Office USA: $7.4M
Box Office Worldwide: $13.8M
Budget: $35M
Distributed by: Relativity Media
Production compaines: Kintop Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, Demarest Films, IM Global, E Stars Films, EMJAG Productions, Gaumont, Film 360
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 2.5 / 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 5%
Fresh: 5 Rotten: 94
IMDB: 5.6 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Robert Luketic
Producer: William D. Johnson, Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan, Deepak Nayar
Screenwriter: Jason Hall, Barry L. Levy
Starring: Liam Hemsworth as Adam Cassidy, Harrison Ford as Jock Goddard, Gary Oldman as Nicholas Wyatt, Amber Heard as Emma Jennings, Josh Holloway as Agent Gamble, Embeth Davidtz as Judith Bolton, Richard Dreyfuss as Frank Cassidy, Julian McMahon as Meechum, Lucas Till as Kevin, Angela Sarafyan as Alison, Charlie Hofheimer as Richard McCallister
Also starring: Alexandra Milchan, Deepak Nayar