**A ’90s Will Smith Techno Thriller Film Is More Pertinent Now Than Ever**
Back in the days when one of the most daring endeavors in Will Smith’s acting journey was “Wild Wild West,” he still managed to rise as the leading movie star globally. Branding the former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” on a film poster ensured massive success, despite the fact that he seldom pushed the acting boundaries that the world would eventually recognize he could explore. Fortunately, he took a chance in 1998, when director Tony Scott cast the star of one of the best alien invasion films ever, “Independence Day,” in a star-studded thriller that remains impactful today.
“Enemy of the State” was seen as one of Smith’s most gripping and challenging performances at the time, depicting a more serious protagonist instead of a wise-cracking character who mocks aliens. In this narrative, he plays Robert Clayton Dean, a labor lawyer who gets ensnared in a conspiracy concerning the assassination of a U.S. congressman and a government coverup. What ensues is a sophisticated game of cat and mouse as Dean discovers just how extensively he is being surveilled. This provides a chilling perspective on the extent of surveillance, offering us a view of the omnipresent gaze from which none of us can evade in today’s society.
**Enemy of the State felt like an unofficial sequel to a true classic**
In a clever twist of meta movie casting, Smith shares the screen with Gene Hackman, who plays Brill, a former NSA analyst. This character echoes Hackman’s role as a surveillance expert in the 1974 film, “The Conversation.” Despite the generational gap, both films reveal how easily those in authority can secretly intrude upon anyone’s privacy. “Enemy of the State” resonates stronger than ever with Brill declaring: “They access your bank statements, computer files, email, eavesdrop on your phone calls. Every wire, every airwave. The more technology is utilized, the simpler it is for them to monitor you. It’s a brave new world out there. It better be.”
Today, Brill’s remark to Dean feels less like cinematic fantasy and more like a forewarning of what lay ahead. Scott’s raw filming technique is packed with images of aerial surveillance footage, snippets from security cameras, and conversations captured by wired mics, adding authenticity to an already gripping thriller.
**Enemy of the State was a spy film that was ahead of its era**
The phones might appear a bit bulkier and the televisions somewhat heavier compared to today’s gadgets, but there’s no doubt that “Enemy of the State” provided a preview of what was to come. In the film, Dean’s worst-case scenario originates from pending legislation that aimed to empower the NSA to monitor anyone they deemed a threat. What was then an unimaginable governmental action became a reality just three years later, when, in 2001, the Patriot Act was enacted following 9/11.
In a time of ambiguous terror, cinema evolved with the era, and films began to resemble the hi-tech, cold-cut thrillers that Smith and Hackman starred in. Hidden cameras and aerial surveillance were becoming standard storytelling elements, often featuring a seasoned government operative surrounded by monitors insisting they “get eyes on” protagonists like Jason Bourne or Jack Bauer. Fast forward to today, and that trend continues, with shows like Netflix’s “The Night Agent” and Apple TV’s “Slow Horses” caught in a similar narrative style. Even with all these spies on the loose, it was Will Smith portraying a lawyer who provided us with a realistic insight into how technology can be wielded against us. And this film remains worth viewing all these years later.