Review of 'ENEMY OF THE STATE'

ENEMY OF THE STATE

ROBERT DEAN, the main good guy, is a labor lawyer who has gotten a VHS tape (the movie was made in 1998) of a corrupt union official breaking the terms of his probation, and is threatened with horrible consequences if he doesn't return the tape. PHIL HAMMERSLEY is a congressman who refuses to support a bill that would gut American citizens' rights to privacy. In return, he is murdered by National Security Agency (a real organization) official THOMAS REYNOLDS, the main bad guy. However, it so happens that a bird-watching camera was aimed at Reynolds at that time and photographed the killing. This tape (we've forgotten about the union leader's tape by now) ends up in Dean's hands. Reynolds, with his sophisticated spy equipment, learns about the tape and that Dean has it. Reynolds can't let a simple lawyer ruin his plans, and so the chase is on.

The political message is clear. (In addition to everything else, Dean's wife is an ACLU lawyer.) This might be due to someone's social consciousness, but it more likely because films about government surveillance make money.

The main plot flaw is the portrayal of a covert mission causing such overt violence like car crashes and gunshots where everyone can see. I'm tempted to say the NSA's ability to pry into anyone's life in such detail is an exaggeration, but maybe it isn't.

Reynolds' character is two dimensional evil. Dean, played by Will Smith, has the identical personality as T in Men in Black. It hasn't grown old (yet.) .  I particularly liked the interaction with him and his wife. No spoilers, but the ending is quite satisfying. I watched it twice.

About half of the movie is taken up by the chase after Dean. It's a well done chase, involving cars, trains, an ambulance, climbing outside a hotel dressed only in underwear, a fire in a closet, and more. Exciting. The problem is, they're chasing Will Smith, the actor who plays Dean. Come on. You know they won't catch him, and so the beautifully done sequence lacks tension.
 
This was an enjoyable movie to watch and really helped my workout.  I give it +++++ - it will frequently get your pulse up to a sprint. If you see it, let me know what you think.