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Bookmark this pageEnemy of the State (1998)
Director: Tony Scott
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Fort Mead, Maryland, is home to the National Security Agency (NSA), a workforce with 18 underground acres of computers capable of tapping two million phone calls an hour. As a conspiracy thriller, produced by Jerry (Armageddon) Bruckheimer, this strives for the techno significance of The Conversation, although given the standard chase narrative, a closer model is North by Northwest. The MacGuffin is spelt out: to neutralise his opposition to the Telecommunications Security and Privacy Bill, a senior Senator is bumped off by rogue NSA agents. The deed is caught on amateur CCTV, and the evidence leads to the innocent pockets of attorney Will Smith. Hackman plays the grizzled recluse who talks us through the contemporary surveillance scene. 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.Author: NB
User reviews of this film
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- Andy S said...
- Posted on Feb 25 2009 14:39 Possibly Tony Scott's best film, and a fantastic performance by Smith and Hackman, as well as Barry Pepper in an early role. Fun, thrilling and a great climax. Check it out.
- Report as inappropriate
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- JC said...
- Posted on Mar 19 2008 10:42 Amazingly intricate plot. No one can be trusted. The end is very clever. Amazing action.
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Tony Scott
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Cast: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina King, Loren Dean, Jason Lee, Gabriel Byrne, Lisa Bonet, Ian Hart, Jason Robards full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 132 mins
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