Paranoia

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford, Amber Heard, Lucas Till, Embeth Davidtz, Julian McMahon, Josh Holloway, Richard Dreyfuss, Angela Sarafyan, Will Peltz
Directed by: Robert Luketic
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A tech employee (Liam Hemsworth) is forced by his unscrupulous boss (Gary Oldman) to join a rival company and commit corporate espionage to steal a new product design.

Review:

Tim: Paranoia is a film that takes a great premise, fails on the execution of that premise, is slightly saved by strong performances from certain cast members, and yet ultimately still disappoints. Plus, the title is completely wrong for this film. In the end, I can't say I enjoyed Paranoia very much, but there are a few decent reasons for seeing it.

First off, we don't get enough corporate espionage movies. I tend to enjoy these types of films because they show the seedy side of business and how morality can go out the window when billions are at stake. Hollywood needs to make more of these movies (but we need good ones, not crap). That aspect of the film was a strong one and I enjoyed seeing this bitter rivalry between tech companies. The biggest problem with the film is that it feels like we've seen this movie not once or twice, but dozens of times before. I know this was adapted from a book, but it just felt like we've been down this exact same road numerous times before. This movie has nothing new to say, nothing fresh to say. It's all recycled from previous movies. Now, I know that it's impossible for every movie to be unique, and I'm not suggesting they have to be. Paranoia follows a well-worn path, so that means it's even more important for it to execute effectively. If this movie isn't going to give us anything new, it has to at least deliver a high-octane thrill ride. That doesn't happen, either. This is a lukewarm, average story. There was one point where I asked out loud about what the movie expected us to feel. Were we supposed to be rooting for Liam Hemsworth? Because, he was kind of a jerk in the previous scene and I wasn't exactly sure I wanted him to succeed. That's really bad, when you are unclear about what the movie wants you to feel.

I also have to say that I'm just not convinced Liam Hemsworth has the chops to be a leading man. I don't hate the guy like I do some of these other handsome yet shallow actors in Hollywood. I think he does have some degree of talent. The problem is that he doesn't have enough charisma to carry a movie by himself. He doesn't connect emotionally with the audience. If I never see Hemsworth in another movie, it wouldn't bother me at all. While he's not great in this role, he is at least serviceable. He didn't add much to the film, but at least his performance didn't actively detract from the movie's quality.

So far, there's a lot of negatives about Paranoia. What saves the movie from a much worse fate is the casting of Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford, and Richard Dreyfuss. Oldman and Ford do the most saving with their fun performances as two rival tech leaders. Seeing them on screen was a fun reminder of their Air Force One days. It's just great fun seeing these two incredible actors share screen time. Oldman is terrific as this sleazy, unlikeable tech genius. Ford may have given the better performance as this intriguing CEO who I had some difficulty understanding his motivations. It's a quiet but impressive performance. The two of them made this movie watchable. The film is also helped out by the small supporting performance of Richard Dreyfuss. I have always loved Dreyfuss and believe he instantaneously makes any movie he's in better. While much of his role in thankless, he has a few great moments towards the end that reminded me of what a great actor he is. This movie would have been awful without these three.

I really wanted to like Paranoia. As I said, I usually have fun with corporate thrillers. Unfortunately, this film just doesn't deliver. The strong cast makes this a decent movie, but I still can't help feeling a bit disappointed in the end result. This movie is just far too forgettable.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Margin Call, The Wolf of Wall Street, Air Force One, Firewall