ENEMY OF THE STATE

US, 1998, 132 minutes, Colour.
Will Smith, Gene Hackman, John Voight, Lisa Bonet, Regina King, Stuart Wilson, Loren Dean, Barry Pepper, Ian Hart, Jake Busey, Scott Caan, Jason Lee, Gabriel Byrne, James Le Gros, Jack Black, Jamie Kennedy, Grant Heslov, Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall.
Directed by Tony Scott.

Enemy of the State is a rattling good conspiracy yarn directed at full pace by Tony Scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide), and photographed and edited excitingly. It is also alarming in its themes of almost universal surveillance, especially by National Security and other government organisations (the equivalent of other nations' secret police).

Will Smith plays a hot-shot lawyer who accidentally finds himself in contact with an old friend and then finds that he is pursued by agents who watch his every move (even on video monitors). Jon Voigt is proving a fine suave movie villain in his later career and Gene Hackman enjoys himself with another crusty heroic role. The plot is complicated but every strand is used, especially in the climax. A really entertaining and thoughtful show.

1. An expert thriller? American politics? Security? Surveillance? Technology developments? Pre-9/11?

2. Washington DC, the city, Georgetown, the neighbourhoods, the countryside, the lake?

3. The editing, the pace? Musical score?

4. The interconnection of all the story strands?

5. The pre-credits, the Republican Congressman, his dog, Reynolds and his approach, his henchmen, the discussions and threats, the standards of the politician, the political issues about passing bills, security? The risks? The murder?

6. The irony of a birdwatcher and his camera? Collecting the camera? Discovering the images? Sending them to his friend? The gathering of information about him, the chase, through the streets, encountering Robert, the coincidence, planting the film? Fleeing, the further chase, the bike, over the parapet, the truck, his death? Robert’s card and the security check?

7. Reynolds, his personality, at home, his wife? Authoritarian, ambitious and unscrupulous? His staff, his chief adviser supporting him, ideas? The range of surveillance? The interview with the military and their skills? Hiring them as thugs? Collecting information, the satellites, GPS, in action, tactics, violence? The personalities of the thugs, the confrontations, the ransacking of Robert’s house and taking the blender, the letter confrontation about it?

8. Robert, the law, his meeting, Rachel, the connection with Brutal? The cash, the bank statements? Jobs’ consultancy? Christmas, going into the shop, the lingerie, the comedy? Explanations? His wife, strong views against over-surveillance, for rights to privacy? His son, his friend, playing computer games? The agents coming to the door, the interrogations? The couple away, the ransacking of the house? Discussing it with his friend?

9. Rachel, the past, students, the affair, Robert’s therapy? The caution about Brilll? His wife being upset with the contacts with Rachel? Her death, his being framed?

10. Brill, the contact, the brief encounter, the car, ousting Robert?

11. The company, the interviews, his being fired, his reputation? The headlines, damaging his reputation?

12. Travelling in the back of the car from school, safety, his wife and reconciliation, setting up the meetings?

13. Reynolds, watching the screens, his work, the results, his demands?

14. Lyle, the contact, suspicions, Rachel and his story, going to the ferry, Robert following Lyle? His back story, the CIA, Afghanistan, being dropped?
Rachel’s father working together, Lyle’s adopting her, upset, her death?

15. The editing and pace of the chases, the effects?

16. The Mafia connection, Robert going to the criminal, interrogation, the issue of the tape, Robert’s initial suspicions about the surveillance, the Mafia?

17. The ferry, Rachel’s information, following Lyle, his being taken?

18. With Lyle, the discussions? Lyle’s diabetes, needing food, the stop, the phone call, the connection with Reynolds? The CCTV, following, going to the warehouse, further information, packing, the attack, the escape, Lyle exploding his building?

19. Lyle, the deal with Reynolds, disguises a policeman, the information, his being taken, Robert taken? Giving the address, the irony of the Mafia, the FBI surveillance, their questions about the vehicles?

20. Inside, with the Mafia, the double meaning, two versions of the tape, intentions, the gunmen entering, the shooting, the deaths?

21. Lyle acknowledging that Robert had been smart? Lyle installing surveillance and Robert’s home, Robert waiting to him?

22. The Congressman and his mistress, the surveillance? The footage and using it?

23. The official political investigations and meetings, Reynolds and his presence, the accusations, his being called out? The end of his career?

24. The using of surveillance developments against the exploiters?

25. The overall effect, terrorism pre-9/11, surveillance – and the relevance of this story after 9/11?