Writer: Jennifer Kaur

Writer Ratings:
Overall: 3.0 Out of 5
Cast: 3.5 Out of 5
Plot: 3.5 Out of 5
Effects: 3.0 Out of 5
Cinematography: 3.0 Out of 5

Watch this if you liked: "Wall Street", "The Conversation", "Antitrust"

Billed as a high stakes thriller, "Paranoia" delves into the world of greed and deception in the technology industry. It focuses on Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth), a young up-and-coming in the industry who's working at a tech company run by Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman). Adam is an honest sort who wants more from life, and he is envious of how some are willing to cheat to get ahead and get rich at the expense of others. Eventually, seduced by wealth and possibilities, Adam is sucked into the world of corporate espionage.

"Paranoia" is one of the least paranoid thrillers that you will ever experience. Some might argue that this is what you get when you put potentially suspenseful material in the hands of a filmmaker like Robert Luketic.

These character turns are the main attraction of "Paranoia", which, as a thriller falls flat. The characters' role could have been used and developed with more depth based on the storyline. Primarily a comedy director, Luketic tries to create the kind of visual drama that would justify the widescreen format, or use surveillance technologies to play games with the audience.

The story is implausible in ways both big and small. The film tries to mask the narrative shortcomings with flashy visuals and a staggering score that uses cell phone sounds as a recurring motif. Sadly, the rest of the film was a little draggy and that there was a desire to pick up and see if there was something more interesting on the other end.

"Paranoia" is supposed to be a thriller, but to be frank; it lacks any real thrills or suspense whatsoever, resulting in an utterly undercooked effort. All in all, "Paranoia" had the trappings of some decent moments and does have certain promises of a thriller. If you would like to learn how the corporate world works the seedy way, this movie is definitely for you.

Cinema Online, 09 September 2013