Word: smith
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...above statements as absolute facts, rarely can they answer one simple question: who are "they?" Enemy of the State is yet another movie with a central character who is desperately trying to answer this question. This time, the result is a thrilling, high-paced, intense battle between Will Smith and technologically advanced, government-controlled computer geeks that offers little time for breathing...
...Will Smith is Robert Dean, a D.C. labor lawyer involved in a violent union dispute involving the mafia. Dean receives incriminating evidence for his trials from his old girlfriend (Lisa Bonet of "The Cosby Show" fame), who works as an agent of a secretive, unknown informant namd Brill (a grizzled Gene Hackman). Dean lives the perfect American life with a loving wife, wonderful children, a beautiful house and his prized juice blender. But everything changes when a bird-watcher (Jason Lee) catches the execution of a venerable U.S. Congressman by the head of the National Security Agency (Jon Voight). Soon...
...main appeal of this movie is not the literary references, but the highpaced action. There are exploding buildings, flaming cars, bikers being run over ambulances and Will Smith in his underwear. Director Tony Scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide) wastes little time between action sequences, building up an almost unbearable intensity, augmented by fast camera cuts and quick scene changes. Yet the overall effect is not a choppy compilation of distinct scenes, but a broad tapestry of chases, gunfire, high-tech tracking devices and explosions, coupled with a moderate portion of complicated plot development...
...pervasive use of technological gadgets is often confusing, but the audience has an ally in the naive Robert Dean. Will Smith plays the role with boyish charisma and power, using his wit, charm and physical strength to elude his pursuers. Despite the subject matter of his last two movies (Independence Day and Men in Black), Smith proves that his appeal lies in his own acting abilities rather than his adorable extra terrestrial counterparts. Enemy of the State demonstrates Smith's range of talents and solidifies his position as a major Hollywood force, not just a rap artist-turned-actor...
...Despite Smith's stellar performance, the film's most interesting character is Brill, played wonderfully by Hackman. He is a dark and bitter ex-agent of the National Security Agency out for revenge against the institution that forsook him. His motivations are skewed, actions devious and intent unknown. In one moment he condemns Dean's ignorance and uselessness; in another he courageously saves Dean's life. The chemistry between Hackman and Smith is powerful, as the two reluctant heroes transform initial self-interest into teamwork. The ending is a contrived and coincidental as a novel by Charles Dickens, but does...