Review of Paranoia (2013) by Thomas J — 09 Feb 2014

I actually enjoyed this far more than it should have. I love thrillers that pose big moral questions like this. Who doesn't dream of the life he got? But what kind of stakes and risks would you take to hold onto it? I also love seeing two caliber actors in rival roles like Ford and Oldman- these guys were top notch and always a pleasure to watch, but I think their characters could have done more and been more threatening.

I still enjoyed their performances though. The premise is hot, but the screenplay in general had stupid dialogue and pointless scenes. Amber and Liam's characters were constantly changing faces, and inconsistent.

Amber Heard's character did a complete 180 in the end, making me wonder who the hell she was? Did her falling in love really turn her into such a wreck? Liam Hemsworth's acting was just subpar, I got the type of character Adam was but I never once actually felt bad for him because I just couldn't believe Liam was truly feeling what Adam would be.

His "breakdown" scenes were not memorable or compelling enough. All in all, a good watch if not for the two big honchos, to see them chew up scenery, but overall nothing special. Richard Dreyfuss did his thing but that was forced and peripheral really.

I really liked Julain McMahon's Meachum character, but he just disappears right before the finale, and I have a feeling scenes were cut out. He could have been fleshed out more but just ended up being a one dimensional henchman.