Big Brother is watching you. At least that is what 1998’s Enemy of the State wants the audience to believe with it’s action packed tale of a labor lawyer played by Will Smith caught up in NSA intrigue. Can Will Smith’s character survive the all-knowing government operatives with only the help from a disgraced NSA agent played by Gene Hackman? Start the movie to find out.
The Plot
Robert Dean (Will Smith) is a successful labor lawyer who runs into an old friend named Daniel Zavitz (Jason Lee) while Christmas shopping. Zavitz is on the run from National Security Agency officials because he happens to have a recording of the murder of Congressman Hammersley (Jason Robards) by the same NSA agents led by Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight). Zavitz is killed in the chase but this chance encounter with Robert has now brought Dean to the NSA’s attention. They assume that Zavitz gave him the tape of the murder during this encounter, which turns out to be true.
Dean seeks help from a friend named Rachel (Lisa Bonet) and her tech operative associate Brill (Gene Hackman). As the NSA pursues Dean, Rachel is murdered, and Robert is framed for the crime. Contacting Brill, Robert is looking to get his life back to normal and clear his name.
After outsmarting Reynolds and his goons, Robert and Brill are captured and forced to make a decision that could either save their lives or get them killed. As smart as the NSA is, Robert has a plan that could eliminate two problems from his life and avenge the murder of Rachel.
Cinematic Compliments
Will Smith is a superstar in any role. His portrayal of Robert Dean is not only subtle, but he infuses the character with enough reality that the audience wouldn’t have any trouble believing he is capable of success in the film. Robert Dean is the everyman. He’s not particularly strong, has a bit of a sarcastic side, but he can rise to the challenge when he needs to stay alive.
Gene Hackman is perfect in the role of Brill. From his first line meeting Robert, the audience knows that Brill is a force to be reckoned with. He may look old, but Brill, thanks to Hackman’s commanding presence, is the star of the show. His cadence and body language make Brill dangerous, and that’s why no one else could play this role but Gene Hackman. Brill might be a little rough around the edges, but Hackman layers the character with quirks that forces the audience to love this eccentric techie from a bygone age.
Cinematic Complaints
While no one else could have played Brill the way Gene Hackman did, Jon Voight’s Thomas Reynolds is a forgettable character. While Voight’s performance is good, the character isn’t flushed out with any creativity and could have been portrayed at the same level by a variety of actors.
Regina King deserved more in her role as Carla. She is confined to the wife role who is present but only important enough to take their son and run to Philadelphia for the weekend.
Fun Film Facts
- Enemy of the State reunited Gene Hackman, Jason Robards, and Lillo Brancato Jr., (who has a minor role at the start of the film) with Crimson Tide director Tony Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
- Will Smith turned down the lead role in Snake Eyes for this film.
- Smith was coming off his meteoric rise from Independence Day and was very eager to work with Hackman in the film.
- While promoting the film, Smith talked enthusiastically about working with Hackman, and described how exhilarating it was to work with the legendary actor.
- Enemy of the State acts as a quasi-sequel to another Gene Hackman film, The Conversation. While nothing has been officially stated that the film is a definite sequel, the character history for Brill matches up with Hackman’s character Harry Caul from The Conversation. The picture of the younger Brill was taken from The Conversation.
- Jason Robards is uncredited for his role as Hammersley much like his short cameo as Admiral Anderson in Crimson Tide.
- The NSA team is filled with young stars on the rise, including Jamie Kennedy, Seth Green, Jack Black, Jake Busey, Scott Caan, and Barry Pepper.
- Tom Sizemore also has an uncredited role as the mob boss Pintero. He and Barry Pepper co-star in Saving Private Ryan.
- Tom Cruise was signed to star in the picture but had to abandon the project when shooting on Eyes Wide Shut went overtime.
- An old Dr. Pepper plant was used for the scenes in Brill’s lab.
- Will Smith and Jon Voight would co-star again in Ali.
The Golden Popcorn Bucket Award
Enemy of the State gets a solid 4 Golden Popcorn Bucket rating. Not only is Will Smith at the top of his game but having Gene Hackman as his partner makes the film much more enjoyable then the standard buddy action film. While having Smith and Hackman as your lead actors is a plus, the storyline may have seemed far fetched in 1998, but it has proven to be prescient to modern times. Only a few short years after the release of this movie we would see the introduction of the Patriot Act which allowed the government to spy on citizens in the name of national security. The additional covert domestic espionage by the NSA in the mid 2000’s makes Enemy of the State current and relevant in today’s world.
Today our social media and online shopping habits have become quantifiable data for big companies. Every move we make is tracked and used to help large corporations earn more money by following our online footprint. Enemy of the State is the best kind of thriller because the true villain is not one person but the way we allow ourselves to be monitored. While the terror of the film is rooted in real life, audiences will enjoy the consistent storyline, lead actors who are at their best, and the triumph of good over evil.
Coming Attractions
Next week we hop on Santa’s sleigh and watch one of the best Christmas movies from my childhood, Ernest Saves Christmas.
Production Credits
Directed by Tony Scott
Produced by Touchstone Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Starring:
- Will Smith as Robert Dean
- Gene Hackman as Brill
- Jon Voight as Thomas Reynolds
- Regina King as Carla Dean
- Lisa Bonet as Rachel Banks
Release Date: November 20, 1998
Budget: $90 million
Box Office Gross
Domestic: $111,549,836
Worldwide: $250,849,789