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Enemy of the State

1998 2h 12m
Action Drama Thriller
MOVIEVIBE Rating
7.1/10
4,424 reviews
Your Rating
Enemy of the State

When the videotape of the murder of a congressman unknowingly ends up in the hands of labor lawyer and dedicated family man Robert Clayton Dean, he is framed for the murder. With the help of the mysterious Brill, Dean attempts to throw the NSA off his trail and prove his innocence.

"It's not paranoia if they're really after you."

Top Billed Cast

Will Smith
Will Smith
Robert Clayton Dean
Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Brill
Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Reynolds
Regina King
Regina King
Carla Dean
Loren Dean
Loren Dean
Hicks
Jake Busey
Jake Busey
Krug
Barry Pepper
Barry Pepper
Pratt
Jason Lee
Jason Lee
Daniel Zavitz

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

Y YouShouldKnow Verified TMDB Critic
2017-10-25

What was just a movie then is quickly becoming reality now. With the erosion of our rights and privacy online, this movie should have served as a harbinger of a world we do not want to live in.

We are introduced to the same arguments politicians, the wealthy and the agencies brought forth after the terror attacks we endured. The exact same rhetoric is used in this film ("if you have nothing to hide..."). At times, it looks like the real world emulates fiction or worse, this film was a blue print.

From a protagonist unaware or unwilling to see the state of affairs, who's unwittingly caugh...

W Wuchak Verified TMDB Critic
2018-06-02

Fast-paced surveillance-oriented action/thriller with Will Smith, Gene Hackman and Jon Voight

RELEASED IN 1998 and directed by Tony Scott, "Enemy of the State” is an action/crime/thriller starring Will Smith as a DC lawyer who unknowingly apprehends evidence of a serious crime involving a formidable politician (Jon Voight) and is subsequently targeted by his NSA goons (Jack Black, Seth Green, etc.) and heavies (Scott Caan, Jake Busey, etc.). He ultimately partners with an ex-NSA surveillance curmudgeon (Gene Hackman).

The quick-editing is akin to other popular action flicks of the era,...

J John Chard Verified TMDB Critic
2020-07-18

The government's been in bed with the entire telecommunications industry since the forties. They've infected everything.

Enemy of the State is directed by Tony Scott and written by David Marconi. It stars Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina King and Lisa Bonet. Music is by Harry Gregson-Williams and Trevor Rabin, and cinematography by Dan Mindel.

A lawyer becomes targeted by a corrupt politician and his N.S.A. goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a politically motivated murder.

Superb action thriller, we find Tony Scott on fine story telling form, backed up by ...

C CinemaSerf Verified TMDB Critic
2022-07-08

Poor Jason Lee ("Zavitz") has only the smallest of parts in this film, yet in the few minutes he is on screen (before he is squished in a road accident) he manages to dump unsuspecting lawyer "Dean" (Will Smith) into an whole world of pain. Why? Well we already know what happened regarding the mysterious death of "Congressman Hammersley" (Jason Robards) but unfortunately for the killers, a video camera used for monitoring bird life caught them in the act. "Zavitz" managed to pass the tape to "Dean" and soon the considerable resources of the NSA are shutting down his credits cards, testing his ...

T The Movie Mob Verified TMDB Critic
2022-10-28

**Enemy of the State is an underrated action thriller that might not innovate the genre but definitely entertains!**

A paranoid conspiracy action thriller with Tony Scott flair. Scott has directed some of my favorite movies, and while this one isn’t on the top of my list, it’s still a fantastic suspense espionage flick with all the government secrecy of Jason Bourne but without most of the action. Will Smith and Gene Hackman struggle to escape the tightening net of corrupt government officials and mercenaries and can only survive by using their own surveillance and subterfuge against th...