# Paranoia (2013 film)
**Paranoia** is a 2013 American corporate-espionage thriller directed by Robert Luketic, starring [Liam Hemsworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-hemsworth), Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford, and [Amber Heard](https://www.edgepedia.org/amber-heard), and adapted from Joseph Finder's bestselling 2004 novel of the same name.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) • [2](https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2013/10/20/1247201/film-review-paranoia-jungle-out-there/amp/) It was released wide in the United States on August 16, 2013 by [Relativity Media](https://www.edgepedia.org/relativity-media), earned poor reviews, and grossed about $16.2 million worldwide against a $35 million budget.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) • [3](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2013-2/paranoia/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Robert Luketic; screenplay by Jason Hall and Barry L. Levy, from Joseph Finder's novel[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) |
| Principal cast | Liam Hemsworth (Adam Cassidy), Gary Oldman (Nicolas Wyatt), Harrison Ford (Jock Goddard), Amber Heard (Emma Jennings)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) |
| Release | August 16, 2013 (theatrical, wide); August 10, 2016 (streaming)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) |
| Budget / box office | $35 million budget; $7,385,015 domestic and $8,784,939 overseas[3](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2013-2/paranoia/) |
| Reception | 8% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (106 reviews); Metascore 32 on Metacritic (30 critic reviews)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paranoia/) |
| Technical credits | Music by Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL); cinematography by David Tattersall; 2.35:1 aspect ratio[5](https://kritikerna.se/film/paranoia) |
| Rating / runtime | PG-13 (some sexuality, language, violence); 1h 46m[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is a rising young employee at a global tech company run by Nicolas Wyatt ([Gary Oldman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-oldman)). After an innocent mistake proves costly, Wyatt forces Adam to become a corporate spy, sending him to obtain trade secrets from a rival company run by Jock Goddard ([Harrison Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/harrison-ford)), Wyatt's former partner. At first Adam treats the assignment like a clever game, but when he wants out he finds that each tech titan will go to shocking lengths to protect his secrets.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) The story is set in the world of mobile phone technology, and Adam is trapped between the two billionaires in what the marketing called a life-and-death game of corporate espionage.[2](https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2013/10/20/1247201/film-review-paranoia-jungle-out-there/amp/) • [6](https://www.tributemovies.com/movie/Paranoia/31814/)
The supporting cast includes [Embeth Davidtz](https://www.edgepedia.org/embeth-davidtz) as Dr. Judith Bolton, Lucas Till as Kevin, Julian McMahon as Miles Meechum, Josh Holloway as Agent Gamble, and [Richard Dreyfuss](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-dreyfuss) as Adam's father Frank Cassidy.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paranoia/)
## Production and development
The film had a long development path. Paramount bought the rights to Finder's novel in 2003 for a high six-figure amount, but the project never materialized there. It moved forward again in 2012, when [IM Global](https://www.edgepedia.org/im-global) took control of the property and handled pre-sales, which kicked off at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[3](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2013-2/paranoia/)
The $35 million budget was covered by strong pre-sales to distributors plus financing from Reliance, IM Global, the Beijing-based E Stars Entertainment, and Demarest Films, which joined the co-financing partnership less than three months after entering film financing.[3](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2013-2/paranoia/) Producer Alexandra Milchan read the book and set out to bring the story into the realities of the 2013 corporate world, where a wired youth culture confronts a changing digital economy and tough economic times.[7](https://www.samdb.co.za/titleproductionnotes/1711) Because Finder's novel was a 2004 techno-thriller, the technology element had to be revised to stay current for the 2013 release.[2](https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2013/10/20/1247201/film-review-paranoia-jungle-out-there/amp/)
## Reception
**Critical response was strongly negative.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 8% Tomatometer from 106 reviews, with the critics consensus calling it "clichéd and unoriginal... a middling techno-thriller with indifferent performances and a shortage of thrills"; the audience Popcornmeter stood at 35% from more than 10,000 ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 32, categorized as generally unfavorable, based on 30 critic reviews, with a user score of 4.1 from 70 ratings.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paranoia/)
Reviewers singled out the screenplay's conveniences and the film's gloss. Michael Phillips of the [Chicago Tribune](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-tribune) wrote that there was "nothing wrong with Paranoia that a stronger director, livelier leading actors and several hundred fewer narrative conveniences wouldn't cure."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013) The Los Angeles Times gave it 2.5 out of 10, and Rolling Stone's Peter Travers scored it 2.5, while RogerEbert.com's review called the film so vapid that it played like *Antitrust* without the food allergies.[5](https://kritikerna.se/film/paranoia) • [8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paranoia-2013) [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) judged that the filmmakers had hoped for a timely commentary on executive-suite amorality but ended up "merely restating the obvious."[5](https://kritikerna.se/film/paranoia) A few critics were warmer: Bilge Ebiri of New York Magazine (Vulture) gave it 6 out of 10 and wrote that the film now felt "almost quaint, like a throwback."[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paranoia/)
## Box office
Against its $35 million budget, the film earned $7,385,015 domestically and $8,784,939 overseas, a combined total of about $16.2 million, making it a commercial failure.[3](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2013-2/paranoia/) Relativity Media handled domestic distribution.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013)
## Context
The film arrived in August 2013, weeks after the first [Edward Snowden](https://www.edgepedia.org/edward-snowden) disclosures, and the Los Angeles Times asked whether films like *Paranoia* and that summer's *The East* marked the start of a post-Snowden movie moment for the citizens-being-surveilled genre, alongside television series such as *Person of Interest* and *Homeland*.[9](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-edward-snowden-nsa-movies-20130819-story.html) Reviewers also placed it in the lineage of the corporate and surveillance thriller: RogerEbert.com saw it as a would-be modern-day version of *The Conversation*, and the [New York Post](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-post) called it "basically 'The Firm' with smartphones."[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paranoia-2013) • [5](https://kritikerna.se/film/paranoia)
## References
1. [Paranoia (2013) | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranoia_2013)
2. [Film review: Paranoia – The jungle out there, Philstar.com](https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2013/10/20/1247201/film-review-paranoia-jungle-out-there/amp/)
3. [Paranoia, Bomb Report](https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2013-2/paranoia/)
4. [Paranoia Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/paranoia/)
5. [Paranoia (2013): 25 reviews, Kritikerna.se](https://kritikerna.se/film/paranoia)
6. [Paranoia (2013) | Movie Plot and Synopsis, Tribute Movies](https://www.tributemovies.com/movie/Paranoia/31814/)
7. [Paranoia (2013) Production Notes, SAMDB](https://www.samdb.co.za/titleproductionnotes/1711)
8. [Paranoia movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paranoia-2013)
9. [Are films like 'Paranoia' the start of a post-Snowden movie moment?, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-edward-snowden-nsa-movies-20130819-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2010–2014 films › Titles M to W*
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