Enemy of the State (1998)
81%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 16 nominations
An entertaining, topical thriller that finds director Tony Scott on solid form and Will Smith confirming his action headliner status
Enemy of the State” is a decent thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but don’t let your kids watch it unless you want them to have surveillance phobias. Some critics found it hard to sit through, while others thought it was highly enjoyable. Personally, I thought it was a fun ride with believable technology and well-grounded characters. Plus, it’s far ahead of its time in educating society on its diminishing freedoms from governmental scrutiny. Just don’t go home in a frenzy to search for bugs, okay?
Production Company(ies)
Sputnik Yleisradio Pandora Filmproduktion,
Distributor
Buena Vista International [us], Buena Vista Pictures, Touchstone Home Video
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
1633 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and violence
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 7m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 20, 1998 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 9, 2001
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Lisa Bonet, Regina King, Stuart Wilson, directed by Tony Scott, written by David Marconi, action, thriller, NSA, surveillance, corruption, conspiracy, framed for murder, lawyer, family man, ex-intelligence agent, innocence, box office, budget, reviewed by Nell Minow, Lisa Alspector, Jeff Millar, Mick LaSalle, Rick Groen, Peter Travers, Mike Massie, Michael Gaither, Tim Brayton, Richard Luck, David Nusair, Kevin Carr, R rating, Jerry Bruckheimer, Buena Vista International, Touchstone Home Video, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS, Robert Clayton Dean, Edward ‘Brill’ Lyle, Thomas Brian Reynolds, Rachel F Banks, Carla Dean, Congressman Sam Albert, corrupt official, assassination, passage of surveillance legislation, videotape, labor lawyer, government black ops team, privacy, technology, action headliner status, topical thriller, solid form, entertaining, suspense, believable technology, realistic characters, madcap adventure, popcorn film, unexpected little twist, high octane thrills, one man against the world plot, unique conspiracy tale, smart and interesting thriller
Worldwide gross: $250,849,789
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $460,344,734
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 324
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 50,201,171
US/Canada gross: $111,549,836
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $204,709,678
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 336
US/Canada opening weekend: $20,038,573
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $36,773,607
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 350
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $90,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $165,162,691
Production budget ranking: 186
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $88,940,109
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $206,241,935
ROI to date (est.): 81%
ROI ranking: 1,008
Gene Hackman – Edward ‘Brill’ Lyle
Jon Voight – Thomas Brian Reynolds
Lisa Bonet – Rachel F. Banks
Regina King – Carla Dean
Stuart Wilson – Congressman Sam Albert
Director – Tony Scott
Producer – Jerry Bruckheimer
Writer – David Marconi
Director(s)
Tony Scott
Writer(s)
David Marconi
Producer(s)
Jerry Bruckheimer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 16 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (85) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (24)
Decent thriller; not suitable for kids.
December 24, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
[Its] spirited action is balanced by an almost contemplative attitude toward surveillance phobias and the movie cliches they’ve spawned.
March 30, 2009
Lisa Alspector
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Since Scott could not make this film snap, crackle or pop faster or more loudly, you might find the evening a bit light.
July 21, 2005
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Hard to sit through.
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 2/4
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
From there, with the mystery entirely gone and the thrills fading fast, the rest is pretty much a two-hour chase sequence, culminating in a hilariously maladroit shoot-out.
March 19, 2002 | Rating: 2.5/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
What do you say about a movie that sends you home in a frenzy to search for bugs? In the new age of Big Brother, that’s entertainment.
May 11, 2001 | Rating: 4/4
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
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.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Scott creates suspense by utilizing believable technology and realistic, well-grounded characters.
March 25, 2020 | Rating: B+
Michael Gaither
Santa Cruz Sentinel
As a simple thriller that wants only to excite and intensify, it’s one of the better ones that the late ’90s produced.
August 1, 2013 | Rating: 7/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy
A highly enjoyable hi-tech thriller.
March 30, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Luck
Film4
Distinctly uneven but generally entertaining…
July 22, 2006 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
If you want to believe in the dark side of government, we are already past the predictions of Enemy of the State.
June 8, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures…
Plot
Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith) is a mild-mannered lawyer who works in Washington, D.C. He is on the trail of a kingpin named Paulie Pintero (Tom Sizemore). Meanwhile, a politician named Thomas Brian Reynolds (Jon Voight) is negotiating with Representative Phillip Hammersley (Jason Robards, Jr.) about a new surveillance system with satellites. But, Hammersley declines; Reynolds has Hammersley killed, but the murder is caught on tape, and the taper is chased by Reynolds’ team of N.S.A. Agents. The guy must ditch the tape, so he plants it on Dean (unbeknownst to Dean). Then, the N.S.A. decides to get into Dean’s life. That is when Dean’s life began to fall apart all around him, with his wife and job both gone. Dean wants to find out what is going on. Then, he meets a man named “Brill” (Gene Hackman), who tells him that Dean has something that the government wants. Dean and Brill formulate a plan to get Dean’s life back and turn the tables on Reynolds.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Enemy of the State on Fresh Kernels.
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