Paranoia may look like an utter disappointment,
but it really isn’t. Anyone going into the film gets exactly as they expect,
which is a somewhat suspense-filled movie with an easy-to-follow plot and a
decent enough story. So, with all the bad press surrounding it, it’s not a half
bad watch, even if the plot is a recycled one.
Adam Cassidy
(Liam Hemsworth) is a young professional who desperately wants to live like the
other half does. He works for Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman), an arrogant CEO who’s
obsessed with taking down his former mentor, Jock Goddard’s (Harrison Ford),
company because their past history. Cassidy’s father Frank (Richard
Dreyfus) is sick and they can no longer pay for hospital expenses.
When Adam
pitches an idea to Wyatt that ends up getting him fired, the tables are turned and he is threatened and coerced into joining Goddard’s company so he can steal
insider information. Typically, this plan becomes too much for Adam and he
tries to get out of it only to be swept back into the rivalry by force.
The film feels a lot like 21, which isn’t surprising since they share the same director.
Robert Luketic loves the suspense and thrill of the characters trying to one-up
and outsmart each other. Not surprisingly, this is what keeps the movie going. When
Cassidy meets with Wyatt and Goddard, you can feel the tension in the room and
the glares they all shoot at one another are pretty fun to watch.
The film paces
itself without rushing to get to the end or slowing down enough for boredom to
set it. It’s easily a good popcorn flick that doesn’t require much out of the
viewer and packs enough within its hour and forty minutes to keep things
interesting.
However
entertaining the film is, it isn’t without flaws. There’s a love scene near the middle that
just falls flat and is more obligatory than anything. I wish there had been
more interaction between Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman, because there isn’t
enough of it. In fact, having the main characters interact more might have
brought about a more intriguing turn of events and raised the drama.
And while the
plot moves unfailingly towards the finale, the realization about the lack of character depth
becomes really clear. Not that there isn’t any character-driven plot at all, but
we need more than a few exchanged words about Wyatt and Goddard’s past and
their tumultuous business relationship. The movie still doesn't falter too badly because of this, a combination of Limitless
and 21 tied up into a nice bow.
Liam Hemsworth
has his work cut out for him, acting alongside three award-winning actors, and
yet he doesn’t falter under the pressure of it all. The Hemsworth brothers may
all be in the acting business, but up
until now we haven’t seen Liam in anything that shows any potential as an
outstanding actor besides being eye-candy.
This film may
prove that he can hold his own, but it’s not necessarily a breakthrough for
him. It is, however, Hemsworth's best performance so far. His American accent is pretty spot on and he and Amber Heard, who plays Adam’s girlfriend and coworker, have chemistry.
Gary Oldman and
Harrison Ford, two outstanding actors, feel just a little held back in their
roles here. It isn’t that they don’t do a good job, but they’re held to such
high standards that there should have been more for them to do than serve as a
wall between each other and Hemsworth. Still, it’s nice to see them
together again onscreen.
Paranoia is far from original (and a line similar
to this sentiment is mentioned in the film), but it still boasts a great cast, some suspense,
and entertainment. It’s not so absurd that you’ll be scratching your head after
in bewilderment and not amazing enough to gush about, but the film serves its
purpose and it does it decently enough. It holds its own and delivers what’s
expected of it. Maybe after watching, it’ll even make you paranoid of the person
next to you who may or may not have taken some of your popcorn.