VHS : Enemy of the State [1998]

Rating: - Very good
US techno-thriller in which successful lawyer Will Smith's life is turned upside down when he somehow gets hold of a tape that shows prominent politician Jon Voight murdering a fellow congressman. Voight and his people find out that Smith has possession of the tape and then set about trying to get the tape back, tracking Smith using the latest surveillance technology including tracers and spy satellites. They also invalidate Smith and his wife's credit cards by computer to make life as difficult for Smith as possible and murder Smith's close friend Lisa Bonet, hoping to frame Smith for her murder in an attempt to discredit him if he were ever to go public with what he knows. Smith goes on the run and eventually teams up with reclusive former National Security Agency employee and technological whiz Gene Hackman and together they try to bring the nefarious Voight and his team down. A pacy conspiracy thriller showing the potential for the abuse of power by those that control the surveillance technology that is supposed to protect us from threats such as terrorism and a timely commentary on the erosion of personal privacy and civil liberties in this day and age. Not a perfect movie because I did not feel that justice had been correctly served by the end of the movie but nonetheless very good.

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Rating: - Excellent film with a thought provoking storyline
It's taken me 10 years to watch this film and now that I've seen it, I think to myself, "why did I wait so long?".

Gene Hackman is an actor who I respect very highly, there's never been a film of his that I've not enjoyed, you do have to wait sometime for him to make his first appearance, but when he does he takes the film to another level, Will Smith and Jon Voigt both put in fine performances too and are supported by a large number of faces that I recognise including shorts stints by Jason Robards and Gabriel Byrne, but for fans of these 2 they are only in the film for around a 2 minutes each and that's it, which in the case of Jason Robards in particular is a shame.

I was glued to this film from start to finish wondering what was going to happen next and how on Earth were the good guys going to get out alive or if indeed were either of them going reach the end of the film.

The film goes along at a good steady rate, at times pretty racy, but I think the thing that I enjoyed most of all was the whole story of a government agency or indeed anyone trying to destroy someones life to cover their own mistake/crime and the extreme measures that they take in order to find the evidence that would bring them down.

Thought provoking in that if they can do what they do to a totally innocent person who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, then they could conceivably do this to anyone at anytime, maybe they already have?

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Rating: - A really decent film
I don't want my title to put people off this if they haven't seen it. Decent is not a bad word! I enjoy this film and have watched it several times. Each time is a pleasure and I don't tire of it. Will Smith puts in a good performance whilst Gene Hackman is excellent. Smith plays an attorney who ends up being in the wrong place in the wrong time and as a result he puts himself firmly in the sights of the CIA. They bug him and track him with a very powerful array of gadgets and computer systems. Enlisting the help of Hackman, Smith attempts to clear his name after being setup for a murder he didn't commit. Its slick, explosive and great fun. A good film.

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Rating: - Slick Paranoia Thriller
Big Brother is watching you, and if he wants he can really you screw you up. This is a classic commercial film about paranoia brilliantly enacted by Will Smith.
Enemy Of The State is a nice action flick. But the special formula, used by Tony Scott, to make us like the movie, doesn't include great action, or great storyline. It has style, that includes an interesting general idea of the movie and great camera angles. The general idea, the movie was based on, is that you can be spotted anywhere in the open by the satellite, and be followed by it. The camera angles, and images that take us to the satellite and back add a lot to the intensity, which is already high. The movie is fast paced and never boring.

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Rating: - Great suspense
Top notch performance from will smith in yet another movie. This guy can act a part extremely well, able supported by hugh jackman. Great film throughout, that will keep you in suspense, and wondering what will happen next!