Some espionage thrillers value nuance, texture and intricacy; others adopt a slick, slight and simple approach. Paranoia aims for both, adapting Joseph Finder’s 2004 bestseller of the same name as a techno-savvy clash of corporate titans. Alas, the attempted pairing of lingo-laden faux complexity with narrative, aesthetic and acting bluntness lacks the subtlety and style of each.
A quartet of characters is immersed in the titular state of suspicion, their software and surveillance-fuelled fray the crux of the film’s dramatic arc. Adam (Liam Hemsworth, The Expendables 2) has graduated from his blue-collar upbringing to work for business behemoth Nicolas Wyatt (Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight Rises), but soon learns his best isn’t enough. Instead, he is swiftly discarded; then – after sending himself off with help from his company expense account – blackmailed into spying on Wyatt’s mentor-turned-rival Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford, Cowboys & Aliens). Adam’s tenure as a mole is fraught with complications, including his involvement with career-driven colleague Emma (Amber Heard, The Rum Diaries).
In translating the story from the page to the screen, writers Jason Dean Hall (Spread) and Barry Levy (Vantage Point) dare not shy away from genre clichés: Adam’s past looms large in the form of his ailing father (Richard Dreyfuss, RED); his wavering loyalties are established in his too-easy dismissal of his college pal (Lucas Till, Stoker); and his inability to reconcile his ambition with the means used to move forward festers in dealings with shadowy thugs (Julian McMahon, Bait) and law enforcement (Josh Holloway, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol). Few techniques of obvious character development are left uncovered, and their formula shows, in a film content with going through the motions.
Missing is tension, and therefore a source of interest, even as on-screen events lurch towards the convoluted. In his seventh Hollywood effort, Australian director Robert Luketic continues an unfortunate run that has seen the similarly less-than-stellar Killers, The Ugly Truth and 21 litter his recent resume, helming another inert, overt offering that unproductively attempts to mimic content better served two decades ago (think The Net, The Firm, and even Wall Street). The cool sheen aimed for is evident in cinematographer David Tattersall’s (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) imagery and editor Dany Cooper’s (The Sapphires) swift cuts, but without the requisite energy. Instead, the film feels forced in both its throwback visuals and heavy-handed machinations.
Paranoia’s core cast tries to arrest the malaise, particularly the formidable Oldman and Ford as duelling tycoons. Their prowess is muted in one-dimensional antagonists, but leaves Hemsworth suffering in their wake, struggling to garner the requisite sympathy. Though his ultimate unravelling lies with the material, he proves spirited – if unsuccessful – amidst more polished performances. If only an iota of that same enthusiasm had seeped into the surrounding feature; instead, it is weighed down by dullness and predictability.
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
Paranoia
Director: Robert Luketic
USA, 2013, 106 mins
Release date: 5 September
Distributor: Icon
Rated: M
Actors:
Director:
Format:
Country:
Release:
