Corporate security in film: Beyond the green shack out back

Abstract

While corporate security may still evoke the image of an ex-police officer hired in-house to watch employees and property from a hidden room or little shack out back, in the 21st century corporate security has become more hi-tech and professionalized. Recent research has shown how corporate security units differ from private contract security firms seeking profit as well as from public police services striving for public safety. Missing from recent literature is an investigation of popular culture representations of corporate security and related stereotypes. Analyzing major Hollywood films, The Firm (1993), Firewall (2006), Duplicity (2009), and Paranoia (2013), among others, this paper examines dominant motifs and themes in Hollywood film about corporate security, including surveillance and physical security; investigations and the role of technology; corruption; and the social psychological outlook of corporate security personnel. We also reflect on changing representations of corporate security in these films over time. Overall, Hollywood films accurately portray some key corporate security features, while misrepresenting or neglecting others. In the conclusion, we assess implications of Hollywood film representations of corporate security, including as a career path and in relation to accountability.