Rating: NN
Sometimes message movies let the message get in the way of the drama, which, paradoxically, makes the message less effective. That’s part of what’s gone wrong here.
A laid-off accountant (Peter Krause) becomes convinced that his new neighbour (Khaled Abol Naga) is a terrorist and starts to investigate even as he spirals deeper into paranoid obsession, fuelled by the disbelief of his wife (Kari Matchett) and the FBI agent (Richard Schiff) on the case.
The cast is competent and works hard. Trouble is, the hour spent following the disturbed hero’s efforts isn’t especially interesting. His mental state seriously undercuts our belief that he may be on to something, leaching away much of the tension.
Once Krause’s and Naga’s characters confront each other, the tension returns, but it soon deflates and the pesky message gets in the way.
Jeff Renfroe, who directed Paranoia 1.0, does a good job with the visuals, shooting at off-kilter angles to illustrate the hero’s mental state and at realistic locations, but he can’t keep it from looking like something from the Movie Channel. This would be an okay time-filler if you caught it on the box. Not so much if you’re paying first-run prices.
