Fresh from box office hits, “Bad Boys,” “Independence Day” and “Men in Black,” Will Smith signed on to star in a action-adventure political spy thriller as a lawyer who becomes a target of the National Security Agency or NSA for short. In order to clear his name, he must receive help from a former agent. The premise I’m referring to is none other than “Enemy of the State.”
Release in 1998, (same year Blade came out) it earned reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Plus, it was a box office success. Rumor has it, a Men in Black sequel is in the works. Will Smith may or may not reprise his role as Agent Jay. His next project is “Fast and Loose.” It’ll be released sometime in 2026. One more thing, I’m reviewing a few Christmas movies throughout December. Enemy of the State counts as one. Don’t believe me? Look it up.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS whatsoever.
Innocent & Guilty Aspects
Innocent: Will Smith did a fantastic job for his performance.
Other Cast Members such as the late Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina King, Jake Busey, Scott Caan, Jack Black, Jamie Kennedy, Lisa Bonet, Gabriel Byrne & Jason Lee all did a decent job for their respective performances.
Fun Facts
- Mel Gibson, George Clooney, Keanu Reeves & Tom Cruise were considered for the lead role. They dropped out due to busy schedules.
- Mr. Smith’s reason to headline the movie is because he wanted to work with Mr. Hackman.
- Anna Gunn (Skyler White from Breaking Bad) makes a brief appearance as Reynolds’ daughter, Emily.
- Enemy of the State isn’t the only action-adventure political spy thriller that came out in 1998, “Mercury Rising” with Bruce Willis also had a similar theme regarding spies and the government tied to technology.
- Both, Enemy of the State & “The Rugrats Movie” both came out on November 20, 1998. A precursor to “Barbenheimer.” Can you imagine if Rugrats promote their Reptar themed popcorn bucket? That would’ve been awesome.
- Tom Sizemore, Philip Baker Hall, Jason Robards, & Seth Green have uncredited roles. Speaking of which, I got my pic with the latter at Fan Expo Dallas 2025.
Tony Scott (Top Gun, True Romance, Man on Fire) did a great job directing.
Jerry Bruckheimer served as a producer.
David Marconi (Live Free or Die Hard, The Foreigner) wrote the script.
Action Sequences are really good.
Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, Man on Fire, The Martian) and former Yes guitarist, Trevor Rabin orchestrated the soundtrack.
Funny Moments that made me chuckle.
- Classics Review: 3 Godfathers
- Enemy of the State
- Comics Review: The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
- Moonstruck
- Shangri-La Frontier: Season 2
Cinematography didn’t succumb to technical issues. Dutch Angles were used effectively in terms of building tension and action.
Pacing didn’t feel like a slow burn. I was hooked since the beginning.
Practical Effects were heavily involved to build action scenes.
One scene has a Mexican stand-off. What a co-inky-dink, Tony Scott’s other movie, ‘True Romance” also featured a Mexican stand-off.
Although it was made before the Patriot Act enacted a month after 9/11, the themes surrounding invasion of privacy and enforced security was ahead of its time. Nowadays, it still holds up. Scary times we’re living in.
Guilty: The movie’s quite dated.
The Final Verdict: A-
Despite one drawback, Enemy of the State is a great action-adventure political spy thriller. Way better than Mercury Rising. Which was a disappointment. If you’re into spy thrillers, I highly recommend it.
Rest in Peace Gene Hackman & Tony Scott. Your legacies will never be forgotten.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 