Taking place over the course of a single night, ‘Paradox Effect’ follows Karina (Olga Kurylenko) as she anticipates the arrival of her daughter Lucy (Alice Astons), but is in turn kept from her plans as she witnesses a murder. Forced to cooperate with the killer, Covek (Oliver Trevena), Karina must fight for both her own and her daughters safety.
Shown to be a recovering drug addict that is trying to put her life back together, Karina works a late shift at the restaurant to prep for the following day, to be able to go to the airport and pick up Lucy, for the two to spend the day together. Leaving work, Karina witnesses a drug deal gone wrong and is pursued by the killer, - Covek.
Quickly apming up the tension, the pursuit between Karina and Covek turns the film from a dark and gritty suspense to a full blown action feature. The hold over Kurylenko’s Karina by Trevena’s Covek as he holds her hostage drives up the suspense and delivers a solid infusion of fear and excitement into the feature.
As the struggle between the two results in Covek kidnapping Lucy and bringing Karina and her daughter to Silvio (Harvey Keitel), Covek’s underlying motives are uncovered, - he is an Interpol officer who had put away Silvio’s son and has to pay a ransom to free his own son.
The relationship shifts from abductor and abductee between Covek and Karina, changing the tone and atmosphere of the feature. With Covek’s motives revealed, Karina now desperate to free Lucy from Silvio’s grip joins Covek in his quest to gather enough drugs and money to free the children.
In an unusual and slightly jarring twist, Karina segues into the role of a trained mercenary as she and Covek infiltrate a drug den of a former dealer of Karina’s. Piercing the tension and undercutting the suspense, her confounding and seemingly instantly acquired abilities make for a perplexing watch. Karina handles herself well as the two move along and take out a handful of guards until they reach a druggie trying to make her way out of the den, with a duffel bag full of drugs and money.
Slowing down before the final showdown, Karina and Covek plan to take their children back by force, resulting in an underwhelming and somewhat muted shootout. With a few too many off putting editorial choices and awkward transitions, the standoff between Karina, Covek and Silvio leaves more to be desired, as the finale feels unexciting, predictable and wearisome.
It’s hard to imagine that with such a compelling frame that forms the premise of this story, the film has turned out as it has. Promising action and suspense, the actors work with what they’re given, but seemingly for naught as the pace of the action is uneven and suffers at the hands of poor editing and drab action sequences.
Score: 1/4
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