Review of Paranoia (2013) by Brett B — 15 Aug 2013

PARANOIA is ho-hum techno thriller that might have felt cutting edge ten years ago. It flirts with some legitimately interesting concepts involving the relationship and tension between privacy and technology (in that sense it almost feels like something a guy like Michael Crichton could have tackled), but it doesn't follow through on any of them; they're merely place-setting for your standard "young, naive protege gets in way over his head" storyline, which is disappointing.

Liam Hemsworth is fine - if totally unremarkable - as said naive protege, but the movie really belongs to Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford, for better or worse, and they have a pair of face-offs that are basically the only standout sequences in the film.

Sure, there are a few other little bits and pieces that are, individually, compelling moments, but they don't congeal into anything close to a satisfying journey. The third act is particularly offensive in the way it seems to gleefully adhere to every cliche of this sort of story, going all the way back to movies like THE FIRM or WALL STREET; it brings nothing new to the table, other than the tech savvy plotline, but that's not enough to help the movie transcend its shortcomings.

It's not an outright terrible film (it's competently made, certainly), but it is entirely forgettable.