Enemy of the State (1998)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Tony Scott

Writer (WGA):

David Marconi (written by)

Release Date:

20 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It's not paranoia if they're really after you.

Plot:

A lawyer becomes a target by a corrupt politician and his NSA goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a serious politically motivated crime.

Plot Keywords:

Evidence | Innocence | Videotape | Confrontation | Disbelieving Authorities

Awards:

5 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Will Smith	...	Robert Clayton Dean
Gene Hackman	...	Brill
Jon Voight	...	Reynolds
Lisa Bonet	...	Rachel Banks
Regina King	...	Carla Dean
Stuart Wilson	...	Congressman Albert
Laura Cayouette	...	Christa Hawkins
Loren Dean	...	Hicks
Barry Pepper	...	Pratt
Ian Hart	...	Bingham
Jake Busey	...	Krug
Scott Caan	...	Jones
Jason Lee	...	Zavitz
Gabriel Byrne	...	Brill
James LeGros	...	Jerry Miller (as James Le Gros)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and violence.

Runtime:

132 min | USA:140 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #36342) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) (video rating) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | South Korea:15 | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Netherlands:16 (video rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Seth Green is uncredited.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening scene (in which the congressman is killed) the time is given as 0645 hrs (6:45 AM). Later When the congressman's car is being recovered from the lake, the time is given as 1507 hrs (seven minutes after three in the afternoon). But the position of the sun appears to be virtually the same for both scenes. Plus the TV reporter announces the murder took place something like "an hour ago" or words to that effect.

Quotes:

Carla Dean: Baby, listen to this fascist gasbag.

Movie Connections:

References True Romance (1993)

Soundtrack:

O Come All Ye Faithful

One of the most entertaining thrillers of the late 1990's.

An successful attorney from Washington D.C. by the name Robert Dean Clayton (Will Smith). Which Robert without his knowledge is given a video by his college friend (Jason Lee). Which his friend is trying to hide from mysterious strangers, who been after him until he dies unexpectedly by a fire truck. In that video has a murder of an top political elderly man (An uncredited:Jason Robards Jr.) and the man, who responsible for the murder is a corrupted national security agency man (Jon Voight). Now Dean's normal life is been after by a lethal team of skilled NSA surveillance team. They are ruthless and they will do everything to complete their mission until a mystery man (Two Time Oscar-Winner:Gene Hackman) helps Dean to be away from NSA and destroy, whoever they are responsible for destroying his life.

Directed by Tony Scott (Beverly Hills Cop 2, The Hunger, True Romance) made an extremely entertaining thriller with plenty of action and humour. This was one of the biggest hits of 1998. It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Beverly Hills Cop, Con Air, The Rock). This has an good cast, includes:Lisa Bonet, Regina King, Stuart Wilson, Jack Black. Loren Dean, Barry Pepper, Jamie Kennedy, Jake Busey, Scott Cann, James LeGros and Gabriel Byrne.

The original cut on the DVD has an sharp non-anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an strong-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This enjoyable film is extremely entertaining and never slows down. Hackman's mysterious character is loosely based on a film by Oscar-Winner:Francis Ford Coppola movie titled "The Conversation". Which some critics and fans of Coppola's picture will call this an uncredited sequel. Seth Green, Philip Baker Hall and Tim Sizemore appears uncredited. Panavision. (****/*****).