Paranoia (2013 film)

Paranoia
Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2013
Founder	Robert Luketic (director), Barry Levy and Jason Hall (screenwriters)
Products	Thriller film

Paranoia is a 2013 American thriller film directed by Robert Luketic, featuring a screenplay by Barry Levy and Jason Hall. It is loosely adapted from Joseph Finder's 2004 novel. The cast includes Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Amber Heard, and Harrison Ford. Released on August 16, 2013, the movie failed to recoup its $35 million budget, earning only $17 million at the box office. Critical reception was predominantly negative, with many reviewers pointing to its predictable and uninspired storyline.

Plot

Adam Cassidy, an entry-level inventor, loses his job at a company managed by Nicholas Wyatt. Following misuse of the corporate credit card, Wyatt and his enforcer Miles Meachum pressure Adam into committing corporate espionage under threat of fraud prosecution. With training from Judith Bolton, Adam infiltrates a competing firm headed by Wyatt's former mentor, Jock Goddard, providing him with advanced military-grade hacking software.

Adam forms a connection with Emma Jennings, the rival company's Director of Marketing, leveraging their relationship to gain access to sensitive project information. Under duress regarding his father's safety, Adam is ordered to steal a prototype cellphone named Occura. After disabling surveillance in his apartment, Adam faces violent retaliation when Meachum severely injures his friend Kevin.

Using Emma’s thumbprint to enter the company vault, Adam is confronted by Goddard, who intends to use proof of Adam’s spying to seize control of Wyatt’s corporation. Emma discovers Adam’s betrayal. Adam then collaborates with Kevin to secretly record a meeting between Wyatt and Goddard that reveals mutual sabotage and treachery. The FBI apprehends Goddard, Wyatt, Bolton, and Meachum; Adam is released for cooperating with authorities.

Following the investigation, Adam starts a new business in Brooklyn alongside Kevin and their friends and reconciles with Emma.

Cast

Liam Hemsworth as Adam Cassidy
Gary Oldman as Nicholas Wyatt
Amber Heard as Emma Jennings
Harrison Ford as Augustine "Jock" Goddard
Lucas Till as Kevin
Embeth Davidtz as Dr. Judith Bolton
Julian McMahon as Miles Meachum
Josh Holloway as FBI Agent Gamble
Richard Dreyfuss as Frank Cassidy
Angela Sarafyan as Allison
Nickson Ruto as Fala
William Peltz as Morgan
Kevin Kilner as Tom Lundgren
Christine Marzano as Nora Sommers
Charlie Hofheimer as Richard McAllister

Production

Principal photography commenced in Philadelphia in July 2012, with further shooting taking place in November 2012. The initial trailer was unveiled on June 6, 2013. The musical score was created by Junkie XL.

Release

Paranoia was distributed by Relativity Media on August 16, 2013. The film performed poorly at the box office, opening at #13 in the U.S. with an opening weekend gross of just $3.5 million and earning $7.4 million domestically overall. It accumulated $9.7 million internationally for a global total of $17.1 million. Variety magazine labeled Paranoia as one of "Hollywood's biggest box office bombs of 2013."

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, only 8% of 106 critics gave Paranoia favorable reviews, resulting in an average score of 3.9/10. The site’s consensus describes it as a "clichéd and unoriginal techno-thriller" lacking compelling performances and excitement. Metacritic assigned the film a score of 32 out of 100 based on 30 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Audience polling by CinemaScore gave it a "C+" grade on an A+ to F scale.

Stephen Holden from The New York Times criticized Hemsworth’s portrayal as "vacant and poorly prepared." Andrew Barker of Variety described the movie as "indifferently made" and "almost devoid of tension," while Stephen Farber from The Hollywood Reporter characterized it as "slick yet confused."

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