ENEMY OF THE STATE
Opposite Smith in this film is Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman,
whose immense talent is well known. Together they elevate what could be
a so-so paranoia thriller into an excellent piece of cinema. Smith exudes
charm and his acting is impeccable. Hackman is as good as I've ever seen
him. David Marconi's screenplay is put in a pressure-cooker by director
Tony Scott, resulting in a thrill ride that almost never lets up.
When attorney Robert Clayton Dean (Smith) is shopping for lingerie for
his wife's Christmas present, a package is dropped into his bag by an acquaintance
(Jason Lee), who then dies in a traffic accident. The unwitting Dean is
instantly vaulted into the cat-and-mouse game of his life, with him being
the mouse. Seeking out a mysterious contact named Brill (Hackman), he learns
that he is being pursued by the National Security Agency (NSA), Brill's
former employer. Dean is being hunted by NSA bigwig Thomas Brian Reynolds
(Jon Voigt), because the package contains a video recording he wants.
The recording is a surveillance video intended for monitoring Canada
geese, but which captured footage of Reynolds participating in the assassination
of a senator (Jason Robards). Reynolds had tried to talk the senator into
supporting a controversial bill which would allow the NSA to use its satellite
technology to peer into every American's home to search for potential terrorists.
But when the senator refused, he was turned into fish food right there on
camera. So Reynolds, not used to being on the business end of the surveillance
camera, must use all the technology available to him to find Dean and secure
the tape (or he'll have to kill him, too). And Brill, who knows the technology,
is the only one who can help Dean escape.
Though the speed at which Reynolds's vast machinery whips into action
is a little far-fetched in this film, director Scott keeps the heat on and
there are few dead spots. It is a smart thriller, and if you can get yourself
to swallow the premise of U.S. government satellites being used to focus
on some guy running across the roof of an apartment building, then it will
keep you on the edge of your seat. The primary reason for the film's success,
however, is the excellent performances by Smith and Hackman, as well as
by Regina King as Dean's wife and Lisa Bonet as his business contact and
former girlfriend.
Smith has vaulted himself into worlwide fame and success in less than 10 years and is showing no signs of stopping. He may soon become acquainted with a new professional contact: a short fellow named Oscar. ****½