A tautly made, smart and slick thriller blessed with credibility and intelligence.
Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith) is a happy, financially successful man with a beautiful wife (Regina Kind) and handsome son (Jascha Washington). He has a top paid job, a luxurious house, and everything an all-American citizen could ever conjure up. Until...Dean's life has suddenly turned upside down into a nightmare of violence and incidents moving at tidal wave speeds.
ENEMY OF THE STATE has plenty of speed, exuberance, excitement, and a solid plot to back up all of the usual action scenes. The performances in this film were essentially superb from Voight again capturing attention as the demented main antagonist to Hackman as a lone herman geek who specializes into tapping through the main Government program. Will Smith (MEN IN BLACK) shines as the naïve lawyer, innocently caught in a gigantic conspiracy implicating the U.S. government.
ENEMY OF THE STATE has a fascinating tone which allows the viewer to be enriched with explosions, unique camera angles, and lots of interesting futuristic toys such as satellites, tracking devices hidden with subtlety inside clothing, and high-tech computers which monitors voice prints and records conversations and pictures.
Will Smith is grand for he always injects plenty of humor in even the most utmost dangerous situations. The laughs are abundant, but they do not serve as a distraction from the film's focal point.
ENEMY OF THE STATE is a motion picture that also handles the theme of "invasion of privacy" with plenty of maturity and respect. The film also tackles the issue of "National Security Vs. Civil Liberty." How far should the government go in sustaining National Security? What are the real ambitions of the government and why do they often act in such a covert manner? Are threats to U.S. Security truly as dangerous and detrimental as alleged or is paranoia too overblown? The answers to these questions cannot be given away without spoiling the film's plot twists.
ENEMY OF THE STATE is a fine treat for the eyes, mind, and soul. The film is generally a well-done thriller with a loophole or two in the film's plot and characterization. The narrow escapes from treacherous dangers may also seem implausible and improbable at times. The idea of ENEMY OF THE STATE itself is not entirely original. Still, ENEMY OF THE STATE remains a fast moving film with great chase scenes and a story line built with sympathetic and strong willed characters. The direction from Tony Scott is blended with decent technical skills. The conclusion is definitely poetic justice!
RATING: *** out of ****.
Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith) is a happy, financially successful man with a beautiful wife (Regina Kind) and handsome son (Jascha Washington). He has a top paid job, a luxurious house, and everything an all-American citizen could ever conjure up. Until...Dean's life has suddenly turned upside down into a nightmare of violence and incidents moving at tidal wave speeds.
ENEMY OF THE STATE has plenty of speed, exuberance, excitement, and a solid plot to back up all of the usual action scenes. The performances in this film were essentially superb from Voight again capturing attention as the demented main antagonist to Hackman as a lone herman geek who specializes into tapping through the main Government program. Will Smith (MEN IN BLACK) shines as the naïve lawyer, innocently caught in a gigantic conspiracy implicating the U.S. government.
ENEMY OF THE STATE has a fascinating tone which allows the viewer to be enriched with explosions, unique camera angles, and lots of interesting futuristic toys such as satellites, tracking devices hidden with subtlety inside clothing, and high-tech computers which monitors voice prints and records conversations and pictures.
Will Smith is grand for he always injects plenty of humor in even the most utmost dangerous situations. The laughs are abundant, but they do not serve as a distraction from the film's focal point.
ENEMY OF THE STATE is a motion picture that also handles the theme of "invasion of privacy" with plenty of maturity and respect. The film also tackles the issue of "National Security Vs. Civil Liberty." How far should the government go in sustaining National Security? What are the real ambitions of the government and why do they often act in such a covert manner? Are threats to U.S. Security truly as dangerous and detrimental as alleged or is paranoia too overblown? The answers to these questions cannot be given away without spoiling the film's plot twists.
ENEMY OF THE STATE is a fine treat for the eyes, mind, and soul. The film is generally a well-done thriller with a loophole or two in the film's plot and characterization. The narrow escapes from treacherous dangers may also seem implausible and improbable at times. The idea of ENEMY OF THE STATE itself is not entirely original. Still, ENEMY OF THE STATE remains a fast moving film with great chase scenes and a story line built with sympathetic and strong willed characters. The direction from Tony Scott is blended with decent technical skills. The conclusion is definitely poetic justice!
RATING: *** out of ****.