Taglines: It’s not paranoia if they’re really after you.
Enemy of the State movie storyline. Robert Dean is a mild-mannered lawyer who works in Washington D.C. He is on the trail of a kingpin named Pintero. Meanwhile, a politician named Thomas Reynolds is negotiating with Congressman Phillip Hammersley about a new surveillance system with satellites. But, Hammersley declines; Reynolds has Hammersley killed, but the murder is caught on tape, and the taper is chased by Reynolds’ team of NSA agents. The guy must ditch the tape, so he plants it on Dean (unbeknownst to Dean).
Then, the NSA decides to get into Dean’s life. That is when Dean’s life began to fall apart all around him, with his wife and job both gone. Dean wants to find out what is going on. Then, he meets a man named “Brill” who tells him that Dean has something that the government wants. Dean and Brill formulate a plan to get Dean’s life back and turn the tables on Reynolds.
Enemy of the State is a 1998 American conspiracy-thriller film directed by Tony Scott, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and written by David Marconi. The film stars Will Smith and Gene Hackman, with Jon Voight, Lisa Bonet, Gabriel Byrne, Loren Dean, Jake Busey, Barry Pepper, and Regina King in supporting roles. The film tells the story of a group of NSA agents conspiring to kill a Congressman and the cover up that ensues after a tape of the murder is discovered.
The film was released on November 20, 1998 in the US and worldwide. Enemy of the State garnered generally positive reviews from film critics and audiences, with many praising the writing and direction as well as the chemistry between Smith and Hackman. The film opened at #2, behind The Rugrats Movie, grossing $20,038,573 over its first weekend in 2,393 theatres and averaging about $8,374 per venue.
The story is set in both Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, and most of the filming was done in Baltimore. Location shooting began on a ferry in Fell’s Point. In mid-January, the company moved to Los Angeles to complete production in April 1998. Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise were considered for the part that went to Will Smith, who took the role largely because he wanted to work with Gene Hackman, and had previously enjoyed working with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on Bad Boys.
George Clooney was also considered for a role in the film. Sean Connery was considered for the role that went to Hackman. The film’s crew included a technical surveillance counter-measures consultant who also had a minor role as a spy shop merchant. Hackman had previously acted in a similar thriller about spying and surveillance, The Conversation (1974).
Enemy of the State (1998)
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina King, Loren Dean, Jake Busey, Barry Pepper, Gabriel Byrne, Laura Cayouette, Stuart Wilson, James Le Gros
Screenplay by: David Marconi
Production Design by: Benjamín Fernández
Cinematography by: Dan Mindel
Film Editing by: Chris Lebenzon
Costume Design by: Marlene Stewart
Set Decoration by: Garrett Lewis
Art Direction by: Jennifer A. Davis, James J. Murakami, Donald B. Woodruff, Nina Ruscio
Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams, Trevor Rabin
MPAA Rating: R for language and violence.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: November 20, 1998
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