Enemy Of The State (1998)
Starring: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight
Director: Tony Scott
Synopsis: Slick action thriller... flashy and fun
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

Enemy of the State is the latest offering from Jerry Bruckheimer. Lately, the Simpson-Bruckheimer stable has been churning out high testosterone and low IQ fodder along the lines of Top Gun, The Rock, Con Air and Armageddon. And so their new film, a fairly intelligent thriller without the gung-ho jingoism or nauseating patriotism that audiences have become accustomed to, comes as a pleasant surprise.

The plot takes its cue from one of the most underrated films of the '70s, Francis Ford Copolla's superb The Conversation, and focuses on the surveillance "security" network or "Big Brother" in the same chilling manner. Like the old film, this movie also stars Gene Hackman who virtually continues his role from The Conversation as an obsessive surveillance expert, with no time for anything else.

The story revolves around hotshot lawyer Robert Dean, played by current mega star Will Smith. Unknown to him, Dean has been passed a disk that shows the murder of a Congressman at the hands of an aspiring secret service member played by Jon Voight. He then becomes the target of a ruthless surveillance assault and is framed for murder.

The film moves along at a rapid pace, interspersed with some domestic scenes between Dean and his wife. Scott's direction is beautifully slick and he is at complete ease with all the technology on display. Much of the surveillance footage is breathtakingly presented and is clearly the highlight of the film. The movie works as a fast-paced action thriller that doesn't sacrifice all intelligence at the altar. Once or twice the film appears to waver towards banal crowd-pleasing tactics, but mercifully these scenes are far outnumbered by those of real tension and paranoia. The climax comes dangerously close to being farcical, but somehow manages to work, if only just.

Smith, now one of Hollywood's absolute elite as far as remuneration is concerned, does a fine job in the lead. Gene Hackman once again demonstrates that he has no peer among the Hollywood mainstream. After the ghastly Armageddon, it is heartening to see the Bruckheimer juggernaut (recently announced as Hollywood's most successful production team with grosses exceeding a billion dollars) moving in a much more promising direction.