Enemy of the State/B,B+

Hollywood/1998/132m/WS 2.35

      Enemy of the State erupts from the core of paranoiac cinema. Don’t look now, but the government has the capability to watch your every move. Sophisticated computer programs and powerful satellites make it possible to zoom in on the smallest sector of the planet and through mind-boggling interpolation do almost anything including reading the small print on a prescription drug package.

Not your typical shopping spree©Hollywood

     The best thing about Enemy of the State is Gene Hackman. The worst thing about it is that we get far too little of the irascible screen veteran.  Not that Will Smith is not up to the chore of a union attorney caught up in a government murder plot that gets out of hand. Smith has good screen presence and plays well with Hackman. In fact, he plays best when Hackman is on screen with him.  Echoes of the great Coppola film The Conversation that starred Hackman as a surveillance master are inevitable. Enemy of the State is a very different film, once again with Hackman playing a master of surveillance. It’s package is visceral while The Conversation developed character with brilliant precision. There’s no Harry Caul in Enemy. 
     Tony Scott is one slick director and often his smooth touch is a great asset for this action film. It seems like it’s a might too slick though. Some of the process shots take you away from the real tension. Better that he should have stuck with the whiplash cutting that works so well under his guidance.
     So many DVDs look so good today. Enemy of the State makes the grade in fine stead. The images are very sharp, the color on the money and there’s lots of light output. Small details are easily discernible in the Dolby 5:1 surround mix. The big explosion is big, bassy and sonically solid. Explosive video transitions have no hint of bloom.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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