Paranoia was my latest attempt at choosing a movie at random and walking into it. This one was slightly different because I had at least heard of it and when I saw Harrison Ford's name on the poster...it was a must. I love him and see everything he is in. Don't mistake my negatives for this film being a wash. It wasn't bad...it just was okay. It could have been so much more but really doesn't try hard enough to be anything great. The entire concept seems like it could make for an intellectual solid thriller but then it never leaves the realm of being just too juvenile. It is a thriller made for teens or something of the like because it misses the mark somehow. It isn't the performances in the movie because it is actually saved from completely monotony and movie of the week TV status by solid performances by two masters of their craft (Ford and Oldman) who are terrific and even better together. The few scenes they share were riveting and there was something undeniable about seeing them together for the first time since the amazing Air Force One. The film has its share of twists and turns but even the big reveal feels a little anti-climatic when its all said and done. I was comparing it to another thriller I saw earlier this year which was done so much better and smarter and that was Side Effects.
Liam Hemsworth seems to be getting a lot of flack for this performance. I've read that he seems bored and delivers his lines in an excruciating way but I disagree for the most part. I think he does a solid job in the role and does what he can with a part that is really sub par. His character is a pompous, egotistical floater who keeps making awful decisions regardless of whom it hurts. He plays the role well enough and because the character isn't exactly likable, you have to give him respect for pulling it off. Gary Oldman is his former boss who blackmails him into doing some corporate espionage. Oldman is really, really good in the role. He is so much better than the script and the story. They are so fortunate to have him in this film. His eccentric and equally egotistical billionaire is a great villain and has some great scenes. Most of them are shared with the iconic Harrison Ford who plays Steve Jobs. No, that isn't who he plays but the character sort of reminded me of a fictional Steve Jobs. A self made cellular phone pioneer and former mentor to Oldman. Ford was terrific playing this man whom wins everyone's respect but there is clearly so much more to him going on. He certainly looks old in this film but his charisma hasn't changed on screen. Amber Heard (one of my Hollywood crushes) is decent as Emma Jennings. The chemistry between her and Hemsworth is decent but their whole relationship feels a little forced because teens won't watch a thriller without romance in it. She is better than Hemsworth but just barely. Embeth Davidtz tries hard in her role but the role is so brutally stereotypical. There is nothing to her character we haven't seen before and it feels almost campy watching her do it especially next to Oldman. She felt like Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Julian McMahon and Josh Holloway were both decent in their small supporting roles. And finally another legend in his own right Richard Dreyfuss plays Hemsworth's Dad. It was great to see him on screen and he was very good in another role that was excruciatingly cookie cutter.
I was a little surprised to see the director of this film was Robert Luketic. He is actually a talented director but a lot of his talent has been in romantic comedies (Legally Blonde, Win A Date, the hugely under-appreciated Monster-In-Law) He is perhaps the wrong genre of director to be taking on a thriller. Though his film 21 was decent enough, he is too comfortable in a late teen early 20 demographic and this thriller should have been more than that. The film deals with espionage and corporate business and high end wall street type dealings but feels like you're watching teenagers play it out. It was just unfortunate that it will likely be left in the dust and forgotten about. Still if you're willing to turn off your brain and sit back and enjoy a run of the mill story with two particularly strong actors then you'll enjoy it for what it is. High expectations will leave you disappointed. 6.5/10
Liam Hemsworth seems to be getting a lot of flack for this performance. I've read that he seems bored and delivers his lines in an excruciating way but I disagree for the most part. I think he does a solid job in the role and does what he can with a part that is really sub par. His character is a pompous, egotistical floater who keeps making awful decisions regardless of whom it hurts. He plays the role well enough and because the character isn't exactly likable, you have to give him respect for pulling it off. Gary Oldman is his former boss who blackmails him into doing some corporate espionage. Oldman is really, really good in the role. He is so much better than the script and the story. They are so fortunate to have him in this film. His eccentric and equally egotistical billionaire is a great villain and has some great scenes. Most of them are shared with the iconic Harrison Ford who plays Steve Jobs. No, that isn't who he plays but the character sort of reminded me of a fictional Steve Jobs. A self made cellular phone pioneer and former mentor to Oldman. Ford was terrific playing this man whom wins everyone's respect but there is clearly so much more to him going on. He certainly looks old in this film but his charisma hasn't changed on screen. Amber Heard (one of my Hollywood crushes) is decent as Emma Jennings. The chemistry between her and Hemsworth is decent but their whole relationship feels a little forced because teens won't watch a thriller without romance in it. She is better than Hemsworth but just barely. Embeth Davidtz tries hard in her role but the role is so brutally stereotypical. There is nothing to her character we haven't seen before and it feels almost campy watching her do it especially next to Oldman. She felt like Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Julian McMahon and Josh Holloway were both decent in their small supporting roles. And finally another legend in his own right Richard Dreyfuss plays Hemsworth's Dad. It was great to see him on screen and he was very good in another role that was excruciatingly cookie cutter.
I was a little surprised to see the director of this film was Robert Luketic. He is actually a talented director but a lot of his talent has been in romantic comedies (Legally Blonde, Win A Date, the hugely under-appreciated Monster-In-Law) He is perhaps the wrong genre of director to be taking on a thriller. Though his film 21 was decent enough, he is too comfortable in a late teen early 20 demographic and this thriller should have been more than that. The film deals with espionage and corporate business and high end wall street type dealings but feels like you're watching teenagers play it out. It was just unfortunate that it will likely be left in the dust and forgotten about. Still if you're willing to turn off your brain and sit back and enjoy a run of the mill story with two particularly strong actors then you'll enjoy it for what it is. High expectations will leave you disappointed. 6.5/10