Rent Enemy of the State (1998)

First Class Conspiracy Thriller - Enemy of the State review by GI

First rate thriller from Director Tony Scott with his trademark fast editing and fantastic story telling ability. This has a great twist & turn plot and a cast to die for. It's also one of, if not the, best film that Will Smith has ever starred in, he's a lead actor who has picked some strange films although there are exceptions, here he is note perfect. He plays Robert, a smart Baltimore based lawyer in a top echelon firm, happily married to Carla (Regina King) although they've had their problems (a plot issue). His life is turned upside down when he unknowingly comes into possession of a recording that shows the murder of a US senator by Reynolds (a neatly nasty Jon Voight), an ambitious deputy in the National Security agency who uses his covert agents to mess with Robert's life to try and get the tape back before Robert can expose him. Robert's only help comes from Brill (Gene Hackman) a former agent who has dropped out of sight for years. The action here is sharp, with some very fast paced and realistic chase scenes. There's murder and conspiracy throughout the story, mixed with Smith's wisecracking screen persona that works well with the character. It's a very well written film that concerns itself with state surveillance and the implications if it gets out of control, NASA supposedly refused to cooperate with the film. The support cast are impressive and include Lisa Bonet, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Ian Hart and Gabriel Byrne has a great cameo. As an action film this hits every note in a modern thriller filmed in a gritty realistic style. Highly entertaining and worth a revisit if you've not seen it in awhile and a must if it's passed you by.