Enemy of the State (1998)
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71% of critics liked it
(83 reviews) -
76% of users liked it
(346,391 ratings)
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… More 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, Rovi
- Directed By
- Tony Scott
- Written By
- David Marconi
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure
- In Theaters
- Nov 20, 1998 Wide
- Studio
- Buena Vista Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
[Its] spirited action is balanced by an almost contemplative attitude toward surveillance phobias and the movie cliches they've spawned.
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, Time Out
Add Smith's lippy innocent and a host of subcontracted indie fresh faces, and you have the Bruckheimer formula: loud, lavish, seemingly efficient; over-large, over-long, over-plotted. Safe and sorry.
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Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
Since Scott could not make this film snap, crackle or pop faster or more loudly, you might find the evening a bit light.
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Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Hard to sit through.
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Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
From there, with the mystery entirely gone and the thrills fading fast, the rest is pretty much a two-hour chase sequence, culminating in a hilariously maladroit shoot-out.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Will Smith
as Robert Clayton Dean
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Gene Hackman
as Brill
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Jon Voight
as Reynolds
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Lisa Bonet
as Rachel Banks
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Regina King
as Carla Dean
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Stuart Wilson
as Congressman Albert
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Tom Sizemore
as Pintero (uncredited)
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Loren Dean
as Hicks
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Barry Pepper
as Pratt
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Ian Hart
as Bingham
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Jake Busey
as Krug
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Scott Caan
as Jones
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Jason Lee
as Zavitz
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Gabriel Byrne
as Brill's Connection
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James LeGros
as Jerry Miller
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Lillo Brancato Jr.
as Young worker
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Seth Green
as Selby (uncredited)
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Jason Robards
as Congressman (uncredited)
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Jack Black
as Fiedler
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Jamie Kennedy
as Jamie
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Ivana Milicevic
as Sales Girl
- Laura Cayouette
- Jack


