Review of Enemy of the State

This is the perfect thriller for a Saturday Night In.

Will Smith puts in a fine performance in a serious role as a lawyer who is being chased by the establishment and framed. He handles serious roles very well and portrays the frustration and confusion of the character with great skill. Jon Voigt is excellent as a Government Official and manages to keep that calm persona throughout.

It is Gene Hackman who steals the film though for me. Playing a mysterious character whose role and background are kept quiet until the end, he manages to portray a sense of urgency, secrecy, menace, dramatic irony and purpose. Yet he still keeps a vague sense of humour at the same time.

There are a couple of good subplots in this film.. One which was totally unnecessary to the plot and one which appeared to be until the clever ending.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.