Taglines: Information is the most dangerous weapon.
The high stakes thriller Paranoia goes deep behind the scenes of global success to a deadly world of greed and deception. The two most powerful tech billionaires in the world (Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman) are bitter rivals with a complicated past who will stop at nothing to destroy each other. A young superstar, Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth), seduced by unlimited wealth and power, falls between them and becomes trapped in their twisting, turning, life-and-death game of corporate espionage. By the time Adam realizes his life is in danger, he is in far too deep and knows far too much for them to let him walk away.
Inside Paranoia (2013)
Is it paranoia if they’re really after you?
Adam Cassidy is a bright young rising star at his global tech company who just wants a life different from that of his working-class father still struggling to make ends meet. But when Adam makes one naive mistake, he is forced into becoming a covert corporate spy and obtain trade secrets at a rival company. He gets an instant pass into the opulent and ruthless world of the rich, and sees how this other half lives with a corner office, ready-made luxury apartment and fast car. But before he knows it, he is snared between two tech-world icons with titanic wealth and a mighty system of power to watch – and control – his every move. When Adam decides he wants out, he discovers that they will go to shocking lengths to keep their secrets concealed. A deadly cat and mouse game ensues and Adam must do all he can to protect himself and the ones he loves.
Taking the role of Adam Cassidy is Liam Hemsworth, the Australian up-and-comer who recently garnered global attention playing Gale in the blockbuster The Hunger Games. The filmmakers saw in him all the qualities of both youthful, daring and hard-won integrity they were looking for in Adam.
“He’s gorgeous, charismatic and charming, but Liam is also very accessible,” says Producer Alexandra Milchan. “You feel that he’s someone who is really on the rise and wants it, but at the same time he has the class and dignity that allow him to question that. He also has a maturity and a work ethic that is rare.”
Director Robert Luketic was equally impressed. “I found him to be a wonderful surprise in this role,” he says. “From the start, we shared the same vision of what his character should be. Adam’s values really resonated with Liam and as he responds to seeing his loved ones threatened, I watched him blossom.”
For Hemsworth, his character is someone who gets savvier the harder he is pushed. “Adam has tech smarts, but he also has street smarts,” he observes. “He starts out as someone I think everyone can relate to: a guy with big dreams who has grown up in a low-income family who wants to reach for the stars. But when he gets into the position where he really can do that, and sees what it’s all about, he realizes it’s not exactly the life that he wants.”
Hemsworth was challenged to reveal how Adam transforms in the middle of the jeopardy he is in. “At the start of his spying, I think it feels like a game to him and he kind of buys into that game,” the actor notes. “It’s really fun for him getting a new apartment and cool cars and having money, but as it goes on, he realizes how serious this game is and once he’s in deep, he starts to see that his very life is at stake.”
The two powerful men endangering his life – Wyatt and Goddard – gave Hemsworth a thrilling opportunity to work closely with both Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford. “Gary is scary as hell as Wyatt,” Hemsworth muses. “He doesn’t hold anything back and he can look you in the eye smiling while he tells you that he’s going to kill you. He’s very gentle and kind in the morning and then we would do rehearsal and he was spitting in my face and yelling at me with amazing intensity.”
Hemsworth notes that Ford also transformed in frightening ways. “Harrison is a really nice guy with a soft-spoken demeanor and Goddard is that way on the outside. But inside, Harrison reveals that Goddard has an edge to him that’s quite mean and very powerful,” he says. “Adam really falls under his spell and it’s easy to see why he starts to idolize and trust him, until he realizes Goddard might not be as nice as he seems.”
Even as Adam is fighting to stay one step ahead of Wyatt and Goddard, he is also falling in love – with one of Goddard’s star executives and a woman who has no idea he isn’t who he says he is. Hemsworth particularly enjoyed exploring this unusually thorny relationship with Emma, played by Amber Heard. “Adam is truly falling for Emma, so he doesn’t want to be stealing from her and spying on her, but he’s forced to lie from the start, which makes it very complicated for them,” he says.
It all comes to a head, Hemsworth believes, when Adam realizes that he is no longer just acting as a spy … he is being spied on himself, with the intent of terminating him when he’s no longer useful. “Adam’s whole world is turned upside down when he realizes that these guys are watching him,” Hemsworth explains. “That’s the moment he understands that they’re beyond the law and they’re never going to let him out of this alive. His life and everyone he loves are threatened – and he’s going to have to find a way to outsmart these guys.”
To help build the danger surrounding Adam to a fever pitch, Luketic worked closely with a great team headed by director of photography David Tattersall, production designers David Brisbin and Missy Stewart and costume designer Luca Mosca – who create his sleek new life, including his luxury apartment outfitted in stylish Armani Casa furnishings, which cleverly conceal surveillance devices.
Early on, Luketic decided he wanted to go for a realistic depiction of the grandiose wealth that Adam turns away from when he decides to go up against Wyatt and Goddard’s empires. “We’re in a post-recession era,” he observes. “It’s a new world where the people with money are a bit more restrained. It’s a sign of our times and the film reflects that. So while Adam is certainly enveloped in a world of luxury goods, he isn’t about flashing bling. He also quickly realizes it’s not the beautiful cars and clothes that make him happy; it’s the chance to create his own technology ideas. But he’s not going to get a chance to do that ever again, if he doesn’t find a way to take these men down.”
Paranoia (2013)
Directed by: Robert Luketic
Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Amber Heard, Harrison Ford, Lucas Till
Screenplay by: Jason Dean Hall, Barry Levy, Joseph Finder
Production Design by: David Brisbin, Missy Stewart
Cinematography by: David Tattersall
Costume Design by: Luca Mosca
Set Decoration by
Nancy Nye: David Smith
Music by: Junkie XL
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sexuality, violence and language.
Studio: Relativity Media
Release Date: August 16, 2013
Visits: 46
