Smith impresses in new thriller
December 4, 1998
One of the hottest people in all of entertainment just got hotter. Will Smith’s latest movie, “Enemy of the State,” is currently rocking the theaters and deservedly so.
Smith is joined by Gene Hackman and a long list of quality actors in this action-packed movie which confirms that Smith, along with being a great hip-hop recording artist, is as talented actor as any.
Smith plays a young, cocky attorney named Robert Dean who gets mixed up with a lawyer controversy that involves ties with the Mafia.
Dean has an encounter with a former classmate named Daniel Zavitz played by Jason Lee (the hilarious guy from “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy”) in a lingerie store. Zavitz appears to be running from someone and only has time to say “Help me,” as he slyly slips a mysterious object into Dean’s bag.
The object contains murder footage of a U.S. Congressman whose death had been presumed an accident. If found, it could expose the guilt of National Security Agency official Thomas Brian Reynolds, played by Academy Award-winner Jon Voight, and send him to jail for the murder.
Zavitz runs out the door and is hit and killed by a passing fire engine.
When Reynolds and his NSA cohorts begin tearing apart Dean’s life with their amazing technology, he becomes confused. Dean believes his ties with the Mafia are what is ruining his home and work life.
It is not until Dean is confronted by a mystery man named Brill, a past law-related resource for Dean played by Hackman, that he finds out what is really happening.
As a former NSA agent, Brill guides Dean through the process of avoiding the technology of the NSA so he can’t be tracked easily.
The stubbornness and street-smarts of Brill clash with Dean’s cockiness and book-smarts to make for a great on-screen duo.
“Enemy of the State” introduces some of the world’s most advanced technology that is used in different types of tracking.
The way the NSA spies on Dean’s life presents a spooky “1984” feel that makes the audience feel as uncomfortable as Dean is on the screen.
Smith is joined by other great performers with whom he develops great chemistry with. His wife in the film, played by Regina King (Rod Tidwell’s wife in “Jerry Maguire”), shines as she assertively “wears the pants” in the relationship.
Other intriguing characters in the film include Lisa Bonet (well known as Denise Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”), and Jamie Kennedy, the horror movie buff from the two “Scream” flicks, who plays a computer whiz.
The plot of the film is well developed and unpredictable, complete with an unexpected ending.
The action and special effects are believable and not overdone, and suspense leaves the audience begging for more.
One thing missing from “Enemy of the State” is the constant comedy that Smith so creatively puts with all of his action movies.
While there is some Smith-style humor, this may be because of the actor’s natural talent for being funny.
However, the movie doesn’t quite measure up to the reputation of “Men In Black” and “Bad Boys,” in which Smith kept a constant smile on the audience’s face.
But “Enemy of the State” still makes for good clean fun. In a year dominated by comedies, the movie is a great change of pace and a definite must-see.
4 1/2 stars out of five
Kyle Moss is a freshman in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.