Enemy of the State
1998 · Directed by Tony Scott
Original language: English
- action
- drama
- thriller
The story
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.
What it’s like
Hard-edged, restless surveillance thriller: fluorescent-lit government corridors, rain-slicked Washington streets at night, and a sickly green-blue cast on everything the satellites and wiretaps touch. Tony Scott's camera is constantly on the move, with fast handheld whip-pans, rapid cuts, and dizzying overhead angles that make the city feel hostile and close. Tension comes from a driving synth-and-percussion score that pulses under chase sequences and drops out into eerie hush during moments of eavesdropping. The mood is paranoid and kinetic, with a grimy glamour, closer to a late-night tense watch than a relaxed one. Its pacing is relentless, and the emotional arc follows an ordinary man, a labor lawyer and devoted family man, stripped of his privacy and slowly learning to trust an unlikely ally. Violence is present and sudden: a brutal murder opens the film, and there are shootouts, a few stabbings, and a tense car chase, with blood shown but no sustained gore. It is also a suspense piece with sexual content kept minimal. Best for viewers who enjoy high-octane conspiracy thrillers, fans of 1990s action with a political edge, and anyone who likes being kept on edge for two hours.
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