Enemy of the State
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: November 16, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
USA TodayMike Clark
The picture is solidly crafted, performed to the hilt and full of humor. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael 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. Read full review
80
Rolling StonePeter 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. Read full review
80
The New York TimesElvis Mitchell
It has a hurtling pace, nonstop intensity and a stylish, appealing performance by Will Smith in his first real starring role. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
A solid and satisfying commercial venture with more than enough pizazz to overcome occasional lapses in moment-to-moment plausibility. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
A kicky, knockout thriller that ingeniously taps into the current climate of paranoia surrounding personal privacy in the Information Age. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It offers a solid two hours of pure, escapist entertainment. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerEdvins 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. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger 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. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyStaff(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. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderLisa 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. Read full review
70
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Enemy of the State isn't really a smart film, but it makes a concerted stab at pretending to be one. Read full review
70
NewsweekJack 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. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyManohla 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. Read full review
70
VarietyEmanuel Levy
Sporadically entertaining, though it lacks the kind of political urgency and emotional resonance so crucial to many similarly themed '70s movies. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Tony Scott's thriller is flashy, but it's not dead stupid and it's never dull. Read full review
60
The New YorkerDavid Denby
The movie goes like the wind, but it's more a technological exercise than anything else. Read full review
60
Washington PostRita Kempley
The dazzle doesn't make up, however, for the movie's lack of depth. Read full review
50
Film ThreatRon Wells
The strong parts are the rip-offs of "The Conversation." The worst part is the lack of understandable character motivations. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A frustrating film that feels cobbled together. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
To say Enemy of the State is senseless is an understatement. This is a movie where logic is the enemy. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid 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. Read full review
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