Kill File

Psychic John Smith, the resourceful hero of this clever if one-note thriller from Farnsworth (The Eternal World), can read minds and influence the actions of others via mental suggestion. John used to work for the CIA, but he left after a harrowing incident, in order to become an independent troubleshooter who sells his services to the supremely wealthy. One of his clients is tech billionaire Everett Sloan, who hires him to recover an alleged stolen algorithm from the mind of onetime protégé, now a rival, Eli Preston. John teams with Sloan’s assistant, Kelsey Foster, who’s competent, levelheaded, and beautiful, for the mission. But mysterious forces turn the tables on John, and he and Kelsey must run for their lives. John’s psychic abilities save them time and again in a series of entertaining variations on mental suggestion and illusion, convincing would-be assassins to overlook his presence and attack one another. The action-filled story concludes, not unexpectedly, with a final push by John to avenge wrongs done by his pursuers. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM. (Aug.)