Enemy of the State

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Enemy of the State

R

1998

2h 7m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

82 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Corrupt National Security Agency official Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight) has a congressman assassinated to assure the passage of expansive new surveillance legislation. When a videotape of the murder ends up in the hands of Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith), a labor lawyer and dedicated family man, he is framed for murder. With the help of ex-intelligence agent Edward "Brill" Lyle (Gene Hackman), Dean attempts to throw Reynolds off his trail and prove his innocence.

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Critics Consensus

An entertaining, topical thriller that finds director Tony Scott on solid form and Will Smith confirming his action headliner status.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/24/2010

3/5

Decent thriller; not suitable for kids.

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

03/30/2009

[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

01/26/2006

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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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

08/19/2023

It’s a shame to see a film about the intelligence community executed with so little intelligence but it’s a fun ride.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

09/11/2020

7/10

Far ahead of its time in educating society on its rapidly diminishing freedoms from governmental scrutiny, the screenplay favorably manages not to forget to entertain.

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Michael Gaither

Santa Cruz Sentinel

03/25/2020

B+

Scott creates suspense by utilizing believable technology and realistic, well-grounded characters.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Jul 26

Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é mais ou menos, as cenas são bacaninhas, a história é mais ou menos, o elenco é bacaninha, e poucos ajudam a melhorar o filme, os personagens são bacaninhas, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes.

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Kyle B.

@OpenStargate Jul 19

Good Will Smith movie. Enjoyed it but it’s like a one or two time watch.

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Tim M

@tgmacman May 3

It gets more preposterous the longer the chase ensues, but thanks to Tony Scott's steady direction, Enemy of the State remains thoroughly watchable.

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Mark B

Apr 29

Solid smart thriller with top notch acting.

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Alain E

@AlainE Apr 18

Still can’t stand Will Smith who constantly appears in love with himself. The first five minutes of this oeuvre was enough for me. In the introduction some bad guys press a politician to vote a particular way and when he refuses they kill him. Presumably no one will replace him. In the next scene Will Smith Esq asks a secretary to send someone a case of Chianti. Chianti is an Italian wine made by different producers and at many price levels. A sophisticated lawyer would know what to send. Otherwise it is like ordering “a glass of red wine “. Yes, attention to detail is what makes a movie believable.

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Cork B

Mar 29

Tense, fast paced thriller with Will Smith and Gene Hackman. What could go wrong? Movie is well done, although it was filmed for ADHD afflicted meth junkies. I think probably the biggest ding is the premise is dated. In modern day America, the govt is spying on us and taking away our civil liberties! Yeah, so? The NSA killed a senator! Yeah, so? They do that stuff all the time. Yikers!

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Tony Scott

Director

Will Smith

Robert Clayton Dean

Gene Hackman

Edward 'Brill' Lyle

Jon Voight

Thomas Brian Reynolds

Lisa Bonet

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Enemy of the State: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Corrupt National Security Agency official Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight) has a congressman assassinated to assure the passage of expansive new surveillance legislation. When a videotape of the murder ends up in the hands of Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith), a labor lawyer and dedicated family man, he is framed for murder. With the help of ex-intelligence agent Edward "Brill" Lyle (Gene Hackman), Dean attempts to throw Reynolds off his trail and prove his innocence.

Director: Tony Scott
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenwriter: David Marconi
Distributor: Buena Vista International [us], Touchstone Home Video, Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 20, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 4, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $111.5M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround

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