Plot
The action producing-directing team of Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott is back with another thrill-a-minute ride called Enemy of the State. Taking its "innocent man accidentally caught up in political corruption" story from such films as Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Sydney Pollack's Three Days of the Condor, they turn up the high-tech volume in an attempt to create the ultimate action film. Robert Clayton Dean, played by Will Smith, is a devoted father, husband, and attorney shopping for a sexy gift for his wife. What he doesn't know is that he was given a videotape from a friend (Jason Lee) regarding the recent murder of a U.S. senator led by corrupt National Security Agency official Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight). Now Reynolds is after Dean to cover his tracks or, as the audience soon finds out, frame Dean for Rachel's murder. Since Dean isn't up on his high-tech gadgetry, he needs the aid of ex-intelligence operative Brill (Gene Hackman). Between the explosions and chases is the subtext of George Orwell's 1984 mantra "beware of big brother," as Dean realizes that in the modern world, there is no such thing as total privacy. ~ Arthur Borman, RoviReview
Mounted with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott's usual big budget flash, Enemy of the State (1998) is The Conversation (1974), action blockbuster-style. Updating 1970s paranoia for the late 1990s computer/short attention span age, Enemy of the State transforms a story about an innocent man caught in a web of government conspiracy into a prolonged high tech chase through Washington D.C., complete with an eclectic cast of up-and-comers, including Jack Black, Jamie Kennedy and Barry Pepper, as assorted amoral government operatives. With aerial shots and visuals mimicking sophisticated radar, Scott reveals unwitting victim Will Smith's plight with customary flair, eschewing psychological depth in favor of relentless action. While crotchety surveillance expert Brill could be an older version of The Conversation's Harry Caul (especially since they're both played by Gene Hackman), the intrinsic uncertainty permeating that film (as well as The Parallax View (1974) and Three Days of the Condor (1975)) is transformed into a more clear-cut case of evil bureaucrats vs. the wrong man. Still, anchored by Smith's and Hackman's assured performances, Enemy of the State managed to be a notch more thought provoking than the usual Bruckheimer fare and became a respectable holiday season hit. ~ Lucia Bozzola, RoviCast
- Will Smith - Robert Clayton Dean
- Gene Hackman - Brill
- Jon Voight - Reynolds
- Lisa Bonet - Rachel Banks
- Regina King - Carla Dean
Credit
James Murakami - Art Director, Jennifer A. Davis - Art Director, Pat Sandston - Associate Producer, Victoria Thomas - Casting, Marlene Stewart - Costume Designer, Artist Robinson - First Assistant Director, Tony Scott - Director, Chris Lebenzon - Editor, Chad Oman - Executive Producer, James W. Skotchdopole - Executive Producer, Andrew Z. Davis - Executive Producer, Harry Gregson-Williams - Composer (Music Score), Trevor Rabin - Composer (Music Score), Benjamin Fernandez - Production Designer, Dan Mindel - Cinematographer, Jerry Bruckheimer - Producer, Peter Kelly - Set Designer, Bill Kaplan - Sound/Sound Designer, Pete Antico - Stunts, Larry Cox - Technical Advisor, David Marconi - Screenwriter| Enemy of the Law (1945 Film), Enemy of Women (1944 Film) | |
| Enemy to the King (1916 Film), Energetic 21 (1982 Film) |
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