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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Enemy of the State
Buena Vista Pictures
FILM:
MPAA RATING: R for language and violence
Starring
Will Smith,
Gene Hackman,
Jon Voight,
Lisa Bonet,
Regina King,
Stuart Wilson,
Barry Pepper,
and
Ian Hart
A successful lawyer finds himself the target of a treacherous NSA official and his goons after receiving evidence about a politically motivated murder.
| GENRE(S): |
Suspense/Thriller
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
David Marconi
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Tony Scott
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: April 2, 2002
Video: June 4, 2000
Theatrical: November 16, 1998
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
131 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
88
USA Today
Mike Clark
The picture is solidly crafted, performed to the hilt and full of humor.
80
Washington Post
Michael O'Sullivan
An enormously entertaining visit to planet paranoia, but its escapist pleasures titillate only in direct proportion to the degree of persecution complex that you bring into the theater with you.
80
The New York Times
Elvis Mitchell
It has a hurtling pace, nonstop intensity and a stylish, appealing performance by Will Smith in his first real starring role.
80
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
A solid and satisfying commercial venture with more than enough pizazz to overcome occasional lapses in moment-to-moment plausibility.
80
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott have wisely set their course by Will Smith, who is sensational in a dramatic role that leans on him to carry a movie without the help of aliens or Big Willie-style jokes for every occasion.
78
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
A kicky, knockout thriller that ingeniously taps into the current climate of paranoia surrounding personal privacy in the Information Age.
75
San Francisco Examiner
Edvins Beitiks
Everything you would want from a Big Brother film: Good-looking, preachy in an Old West kind of way, wobbling between humor and murder, hellbent and periodically brilliant.
75
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
In too much of a hurry to be much of a people picture. And the standoff at the end edges perilously close to the ridiculous, for a movie that's tried so hard to be plausible.
75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
It offers a solid two hours of pure, escapist entertainment.
75
Entertainment Weekly
Staff(not credited)
A high-adrenaline, high-concept action thriller that mixes hot-button issues of privacy and surveillance, easy-to-identify good and bad guys, attention-getting stars, and well-choreographed chase scenes.
70
Newsweek
Jack Kroll
The scary fun of the movie is embodied in a brilliantly filmed and edited chase sequence in which Smith tries to escape the ubiquitous cyber-eyes that see every inch of his flight.
70
Village Voice
Dennis Lim
Enemy of the State isn't really a smart film, but it makes a concerted stab at pretending to be one.
70
Chicago Reader
Lisa Alspector
The social criticism is as unforced as the humor (and the references to "The Conversation") in this 1998 conspiracy thriller, whose spirited action is balanced by an almost contemplative attitude toward surveillance phobias and the movie cliches they've spawned.
70
Variety
Emanuel Levy
Sporadically entertaining, though it lacks the kind of political urgency and emotional resonance so crucial to many similarly themed '70s movies.
70
LA Weekly
Manohla Dargis
This paranoid thriller has all the failings we expect...but Enemy of the State also has enough wit, talent and narrative thrust to mostly transcend those flaws, at least until that ludicrous finish.
60
Washington Post
Rita Kempley
The dazzle doesn't make up, however, for the movie's lack of depth.
60
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
Tony Scott's thriller is flashy, but it's not dead stupid and it's never dull.
60
The New Yorker
David Denby
The movie goes like the wind, but it's more a technological exercise than anything else.
50
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
The movie has plenty of high-tech power, spinning out action so explosive you'll hardly notice how preposterous the story is or how cardboard-thin the characters are.
50
Film Threat
Ron Wells
The strong parts are the rip-offs of "The Conversation." The worst part is the lack of understandable character motivations.
50
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
A frustrating film that feels cobbled together.
50
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
To say Enemy of the State is senseless is an understatement. This is a movie where logic is the enemy.
 The average user rating for this movie is 6.8 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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