Enemy of the State poster & wallpaper

Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight

Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith) is a lawyer with a wife and family whose happily normal life is turned upside down after a chance meeting with a college buddy (Jason Lee) at a lingerie shop. Unbeknow...( read more  read more... )nst to the lawyer, he's just been burdened with a videotape of a congressman's assassination. Hot on the tail of this tape is a ruthless group of National Security Agents commanded by a belligerently ambitious fed named Reynolds (Jon Voight). Using surveillance from satellites, bugs, and other sophisticated snooping devices, the NSA infiltrates every facet of Dean's existence, tracing each physical and digital footprint he leaves. Driven by acute paranoia, Dean enlists the help of a clandestine former NSA operative named Brill (Gene Hackman), and Enemy of the State kicks into high-intensity hyperdrive.

Teaming up once again with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Top Gun director Tony Scott demonstrates his glossy style with clever cinematography and breakneck pacing. Will Smith proves that there's more to his success than a brash sense of humor, giving a versatile performance that plausibly illustrates a man cracking under the strain of paranoid turmoil. Hackman steals the show by essentially reprising his role from The Conversation--just imagine his memorable character Harry Caul some 20 years later. Most of all, the film's depiction of high-tech surveillance is highly convincing and dramatically compelling, making this a cautionary tale with more substance than you'd normally expect from a Scott-Bruckheimer action extravaganza. --Jeremy Storey

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76% liked it

346,391 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

81 critics

R, 2 hrs. 8 min.

Directed by: Tony Scott

Release Date: November 20, 1998

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DVD Release Date: June 15, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (10,077)

  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    A inferior version of The Conversation in many ways, Gene Hackman even lowers himself to star in it.
  • mrpopcorn
    January 8, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "It's not paranoia if they're really after you."

    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 rece...( read more)nt 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.

    Review
    The paranoid citizen genre (is it really a genre?) is not dead after all. Just different. Movies in the category usually involve many more psychological thrills and intrigue. Enemy of the State delivers in a 90's sort of way... non stop action. After the first 10 minutes you better hope you don't have to get up to go to the bathroom, because this film doesn't stop until the credits roll. Will Smith is good as lawyer turned enemy of the state, Robert Clayton Dean, and Gene Hackman as Brill, an ex-NSA agent and current paranoid citizen #1, gives a solid performance as always. Jon Voight plays a great dirty politician (is there another type these days?).

    Well thought and put together into a tightly woven story that leaves sparse little time to develop characters, or even add dialog. You get your money's worth, but don't expect to think too much. That is all taken care of by the film makers. This is as much a commentary on the audiences today and their willingness to be "wowed" by a fast pace and special effects as it is a view of the production companies willingness to go with what is proven to make money and not to take too many chances. Don't get me wrong though. This was a good movie and I enjoyed it.
  • RossCollinsUK
    November 30, 2008
    RossCollinsUK
    An action thriller with a message - you can't trust a state that imposes surveillance upon its citizens under the guise of national security. Three-years before America's Patriot Act, and full of geeky techno-sophistication this film is quite prophetic seen ten years later. Will ...( read more)Smith isn't bad in what must have been an early serious role for him.
  • AgentLexi2132
    November 28, 2008
    AgentLexi2132
    ''Well, if they're big and you're small, then you're mobile and they're slow. You're hidden and they're exposed. You only fight battles you know you can win. That's the way the Vietcong did it. You capture their weapons and you use them against them the next time.''


    A la...( read more)wyer becomes a target by a corrupt politician and his NSA goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a serious politically motivated crime.

    Will Smith: Robert Clayton Dean

    Gene Hackman: Brill

    Tony Scott was born to make intelligent thrillers. Enemy of the State is a favourite of mine again. It's slick, it's fastly placed, intelligent.

    This also raises some good questions about today's society and how far the top men will go to achieve total domination into everyones lives, plus the looming question of human rights and how far others can be allowed to delve into our privacy.

    Will Smith is the likable lead who injects his character with the usual charisma he usually does in his films. Hes funny, the family man who's life is suddenly turned upside down.
    Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina King and even Jack Black give amazing depth to their characters and really flesh them out successfully under Tony Scott's direction.

    Best chase movie I've seen since The Fugitive which is boosted by the superb slick crisp music by my personal favourite composer Harry Gregson-Williams who also did the music for one of my fave game series Meta Gear Solid. He does as usual a composition that will hit your nerves and really get your heart racing as the film thunders along.

    In effect Enemy of the State is one of my fave thrillers, which has a conclusion and a shoot out i found funny as well as fulfilling.
  • DrZeek
    August 26, 2008
    DrZeek
    Brill: Do they know me?
    Robert Clayton Dean: Who's them?
    Brill: Do they know me?
    Robert Clayton Dean: I don't know what you're talking about.
    Brill: Either you are very smart or... incredibly stupid.

    A techno action thriller from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Sco...( read more)tt, who uses his visual flair to brighten things even more. It's also smarter than the usual Bruckheimer action film which is nice, and it still has the entertaining fun factor, as well as mixed cast to keep things lively.

    Will Smith plays a different character from his usual save the world persona, but still has enough charisma to spare, despite his character being pushed to his limits.

    The story involves a lawyer, Robert Dean played by Smith, being passed a recording of a politician's murder by another, without Robert's knowledge. Despite not knowing what he has, Robert has now been targeted by the NSA as a threat, and they try to do everything they can to ruin his life and find out what he knows.

    Gene Hackman eventually shows up as an older version of his character from The Conversation basically, working as a sort of underground hacker and surveillance expert, and the movie sort of has fun with how that life could have played out.

    The rest of this movie is packed with character actors, including Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Loren Dean, Barry Pepper, Jake Busey, Gabriel Byrne, Jack Black, Jaime Kennedy, Seth Green, Jason Lee, Regina King, Lisa Bonet, Philip Baker Hall, and Jason Robards.

    The direction, editing, and cinematography is all top notch, working with the satellite surveillance theme. We get all kinds of crazy shots that would fuel the kind of privacy paranoia that many people worry about.

    As an action film, it works in a good enough manner. Opting for mostly chase scenarios, opposed to gun fights, it certainly works in leaving its hero character as an every man. Speaking of which, Smith really does a good job at keeping his character human. He plays a lawyer, with a wife and son who has had his own past marital problems involving another women as well as dealing with issues involving his job.

    Overall, the movie does a good job at being both a big studio picture and a clever thriller.

    Robert Dean: What the hell is happening?
    Brill: I blew up the building.
    Robert Dean: Why?
    Brill: Because you made a phone call.
  • bronzlox1
    November 19, 2009
    bronzlox1
    I had to have the entire movie explained to me. I was very confused.
  • jenijunaquil
    November 11, 2009
    jenijunaquil
    a movie on how power and technology can destroy one's privacy and eventually the world
  • SweetBoiUK
    November 11, 2009
    SweetBoiUK
    brilliant film amazing story line top class actors
  • jezebellealhambra
    November 9, 2009
    jezebellealhambra
    he been hide and they been tried to look for him very suspense,he is good
  • WhiteKnight93
    November 4, 2009
    WhiteKnight93
    This movie is awesome. The whole idea is great.

View All Enemy of the State Reviews

Critic Reviews

June 18, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Hard to sit through. full review

May 11, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

What do you say about a movie that sends you home in a frenzy to search for bugs? In the new age of Big Brother, that's entertainment. full review

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie is fast-paced, centered around two big chase scenes, and ending in a clever double-cross that leads to a big shootout. full review

View more Enemy of the State reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • rachelleqld
    August 15, 2009
    rachelleqld
    I am desperately after a copy of this movie. Even a burnt copy will do. Willing to swap other movies. If you have this movie, please message me. Any regions okay.
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Enemy of the State Trivia

  • His nickname was "Prince" because he could always charm his way out of trouble. He battled aliens wearing only black, saved a country on Independence Day and then became an Enemy of the State. Who is he?  Answer »
  • name the movie in which Will Smith played a lawyer who gets mixed into trouble with computer spys and killers  Answer »
  • In Enemy of the State what item is the only thing stolen from Robert Clayton Dean's (Will Smith's)house when it is trashed and bugged?  Answer »
  • In which movie feature all of this actor:Will Smith,Jack Black,Gabriel Byrne,Jason Lee,Scott Caan,Jamie Kennedy,Gene Hackman,Jon Voight and Regina King?  Answer »
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