Paranoia

Paranoia

Year: 2013

Runtime: 106 min

Language: English

Director: Robert Luketic

Budget: $35M

DramaThriller

In a fiercely competitive world dominated by tech giants, two powerful billionaires are locked in a bitter rivalry rooted in a shared history. A promising young employee finds himself unexpectedly drawn into their dangerous game of corporate espionage, tempted by the promise of immense wealth. He soon discovers that navigating this high-stakes conflict involves a precarious balancing act, where his safety and future hang in the balance as he’s caught between the two powerful figures.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Paranoia (2013) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Paranoia (2013), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Adam Cassidy, Liam Hemsworth, is a low-level inventor who works for a powerful corporation led by Nicholas Wyatt, Gary Oldman. After a firing for insubordination, he uses the company’s credit card to pay for bottle service for his friends at a club, triggering a coercive trap: Wyatt and his enforcer, Miles Meachum, threaten to have him arrested for fraud unless he becomes a corporate spy.

Wyatt and Meachum pull the strings to push Adam into a dangerous betrayal, and Adam is trained by Judith Bolton before infiltrating a rival company run by Jock Goddard, Harrison Ford. There, Adam supplies Goddard with advanced software capable of hacking into cellphones, software that could have serious military applications. As this fragile web of deceit tightens, FBI Agent Gamble interrogates Adam, revealing that three other Wyatt transfers to Goddard’s outfit were found dead, though Adam chooses to ignore the warning signs.

In the midst of the high-stakes covert work, Adam discovers Emma Jennings, Director of Marketing at Goddard’s company. He begins a tense, cautious relationship with Emma to gain access to files about Goddard’s upcoming projects, using charm and subterfuge to stay one step ahead. Meanwhile, Wyatt escalates his threats, threatening to kill Adam’s father, Frank Cassidy, if Adam does not steal a revolutionary prototype cellphone known as Occura, developed by Goddard.

As the pressure mounts, Bolton and Meachum monitor Adam’s every move, prompting him to destroy the cameras in his apartment. In retaliation, Meachum orchestrates a brutal hit, running over Adam’s friend Kevin with a car and leaving him hospitalized. Adam is then given 48 hours to steal the Occura prototype.

With limited time, Adam uses Emma’s thumbprint—lifted from a spoon—to bypass security and access the vault. In a tense confrontation, Goddard, intent on seizing Wyatt’s company, corners him, while Emma realizes Adam used her, adding personal stakes to the corporate crime spree. Adam hatches a plan and recruits Kevin to help, setting up a pivotal meeting between Wyatt and Goddard as Bolton’s true loyalties come into question; both men acknowledge the crimes they’ve committed to sabotage each other’s empires.

Adam secretly uses the same software to transmit their conversation to Kevin, whose computer recordings are handed to the FBI. Gamble and the agents close in, arresting Goddard, Wyatt, Bolton, and Meachum, and Adam is released for contributing to the investigation. In the aftermath, he launches a small Brooklyn startup with Kevin and their friends, and, after reconciling with Emma, seals the moment with a passionate kiss, signaling a new, steadier future built on honesty and collaboration.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:17

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Corporate Espionage Thrillers Like Paranoia

Ordinary people blackmailed into high-stakes world of corporate espionage.If you liked the high-tension world of corporate spying in Paranoia, explore these movies where ordinary individuals are coerced into dangerous games of information theft. These films share a fast-paced, anxious energy and explore themes of power, corruption, and redemption within the cutthroat business world.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows an unwilling participant who is blackmailed or coerced into infiltrating a rival corporation. The plot revolves around the escalating demands of their handlers, the technical challenges of the espionage, and the psychological toll of living a double life. The journey typically involves a moral crisis and a final confrontation to break free from the coercive control.

Why These Movies?

This thread groups movies that capture the specific anxiety of being an unwilling pawn in a powerful conflict. They share a tense, paranoid tone, fast pacing driven by deadlines, and a focus on the psychological pressure of deception rather than just action. The central theme of coercion and the high-tech setting create a distinct, gripping experience.

Movies Where a Character is a Pawn Like in Paranoia

A character trapped as a pawn in a dangerous rivalry between powerful figures.Fans of Paranoia who enjoyed seeing a young employee caught between two ruthless billionaires will find similar tension in these films. This collection features stories where a protagonist is used as a tool in a larger power struggle, creating a gripping narrative of manipulation and survival against overwhelming odds.

manipulatedtrappedhigh-stakestensedangerousrivalrypower strugglecoerced

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a protagonist who is pulled into a pre-existing feud between two powerful entities. They are used by both sides, often playing a double game, and their personal survival becomes intrinsically linked to the outcome of the larger conflict. The character arc is about navigating this impossible situation and ultimately reclaiming their own power and freedom.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are united by the core dynamic of a 'triangle of power'—two antagonists and one caught-in-the-middle protagonist. This creates a specific, intense form of suspense where loyalty is fluid and trust is a liability. The shared elements are a tense atmosphere, high personal stakes, and a narrative that explores themes of manipulation and corruption.

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Paranoia

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Paranoia

Paranoia Spoiler-Free Summary

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More About Paranoia

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