Enemy of the State is a most annoying film. Even with an intensely unoriginal story, it could have been quite good. Unfortunately, by deciding to treat the audience as if its members were stupid, the film falls on its face. It is, literally, incredible.
Will Smith can act very well, as seen in Six Degrees of Separation. Unfortunately he mailed in this performance. Weak direction seems to have left everyone incapable of deciding what Smith's character should be: the smart, wise-cracking lawyer or the action hero? In North By Northwest Cary Grant never appears to have the full measure of the situation into which he has been thrust, rendering the film and his portrayal believable. In Enemy of the State, Will Smith seems to go from intelligent but confused dupe out of his depth to omniscient and omnipotent hero for no apparent reason. How?
Gene Hackman is, as always, eminently watchable and believable. Unfortunately, he has done this film before, played most of the characters better, and he must have known this cheap imitation of "The Conversation" wasn't even in the same league as the original. Two other great actors, Jon Voigt and Jason Robards, are wasted in this film. Robards' cameo at the beginning shows the impact a great screen actor can have in the smallest of roles. His proves in many ways more intriguing than any other character, and he's dead after the first five minutes!
The silliest thing about the film is the technology represented: satellites taking real-time, moving images of *infinite* resolution through clouds visible from the ground; call tracing which takes place in barely a minute, with 'kewl graphix'; ability to rotate a three dimensional image taken by a single *fixed* camera. Further offending the viewer are blatant and incessant product placements and excessively relaxed techno-geeks who are so stereotyped it's disgusting...not to mention the various ethno-stereotypes in the film, which annoyed me though I am proudly non-PC. Ugh.
This film is so ridiculous as to be an unintentional comedy. Hollywood wonders why Americans are perceived as buffoons they are not, and why some fellow countrymen seem to be convinced of endless government conspiracy?! More a Hollywood conspiracy to create audience stupidity.
Will Smith can act very well, as seen in Six Degrees of Separation. Unfortunately he mailed in this performance. Weak direction seems to have left everyone incapable of deciding what Smith's character should be: the smart, wise-cracking lawyer or the action hero? In North By Northwest Cary Grant never appears to have the full measure of the situation into which he has been thrust, rendering the film and his portrayal believable. In Enemy of the State, Will Smith seems to go from intelligent but confused dupe out of his depth to omniscient and omnipotent hero for no apparent reason. How?
Gene Hackman is, as always, eminently watchable and believable. Unfortunately, he has done this film before, played most of the characters better, and he must have known this cheap imitation of "The Conversation" wasn't even in the same league as the original. Two other great actors, Jon Voigt and Jason Robards, are wasted in this film. Robards' cameo at the beginning shows the impact a great screen actor can have in the smallest of roles. His proves in many ways more intriguing than any other character, and he's dead after the first five minutes!
The silliest thing about the film is the technology represented: satellites taking real-time, moving images of *infinite* resolution through clouds visible from the ground; call tracing which takes place in barely a minute, with 'kewl graphix'; ability to rotate a three dimensional image taken by a single *fixed* camera. Further offending the viewer are blatant and incessant product placements and excessively relaxed techno-geeks who are so stereotyped it's disgusting...not to mention the various ethno-stereotypes in the film, which annoyed me though I am proudly non-PC. Ugh.
This film is so ridiculous as to be an unintentional comedy. Hollywood wonders why Americans are perceived as buffoons they are not, and why some fellow countrymen seem to be convinced of endless government conspiracy?! More a Hollywood conspiracy to create audience stupidity.