Review of Enemy of the State (1998) by Filipeneto — 12 Sep 2019

This movie is a gigantic manhunt, where a liberal-minded lawyer is inadvertently caught in the middle of a conspiracy involving the murder of a congressman at a time when important secrecy laws were to be voted on. Unknowingly, these lawyer has strong evidences that compromises the killers and they will use every means to neutralize him.

That lawyer is probably the luckiest guy in the world, because he had people with him who had a lot more experience than him and who knew the danger he faced better than himself. In fact, the script is good, but the fact that the central character spends so much time in the dark about what's going on around him is hard to swallow. He spends half movie thinking that he is being targeted by a mob group because of a totally different situation. Also, 90% of the movie is pure cat and mouse game. Will Smith is good enough to appear credible in his character, but he can't compete with the charisma and strength of Gene Hackman, who shakes the movie from the moment he enters. Without him, this movie would not be so good. Jon Voight also did a good job, as a villain. The remaining cast is limited to what they have to do, which has not stopped many famous actors from agreeing to participate.

Technically, it's a regular movie. Tony Scott ensured a satisfactory direction, giving coherence and elegance to the film, ensuring a pleasant pace and no dead moments. Good photography, good sound and video effects (especially in action scenes), good special effects (when needed) and a discreet but decent soundtrack round out a movie full of qualities, though not particularly noticeable, or set apart from the panorama of movies involving persecution and state plots.