Enemy of the State (film)
| Enemy of the State | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Tony Scott |
| Produced by | Jerry Bruckheimer |
| Written by | David Marconi |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
Harry Gregson-Williams Trevor Rabin |
| Cinematography | Dan Mindel |
| Edited by | Chris Lebenzon |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
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Release date
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Running time
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132 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $90 million |
| Box office | $250.6 million |
Enemy of the State is a 1998 American spy-thriller about a group of U.S. National Security Agency agents conspiring to kill a U.S. Congressman and the cover up that ensues after a tape of the murder is discovered. It was written by David Marconi, directed by Tony Scott, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Will Smith and Gene Hackman, with Jon Voight, Lisa Bonet, and Regina King in supporting roles.
NSA official Thomas Bryan Reynolds meets with U.S. Congressman Phil Hammersley in a public park to discuss support for a new counter-terrorism legislation the U.S. Congress is pushing that dramatically expands the surveillance powers of intelligence agencies over individuals and groups. Hammersley remains committed to blocking its passage, since he believes it would almost totally destroy the privacy of American citizens. Reynolds, determined to have the bill pass so as to gain a long-delayed and anticipated promotion within the NSA, has his team murder Hammersley, spread heart pills over his car, place him in the car and push it in a lake to make it look like he had a heart attack. In the aftermath, they discover that wildlife researcher Daniel Zavits had a camera aimed in the woods at their location. Zavits inspects the footage and, realizing he has captured the congressman's murder, calls a journalist he knows. The call is monitored by Reynolds's team who attempt to break into Zavits' apartment to retrieve the tape. Realising he is in danger, Zavits transfers the video to a disc before fleeing the apartment ahead of Reynolds's men.
Zavits bumps into an old college friend, labour lawyer Robert Clayton Dean, and slips the disc into his shopping bag without his knowledge. Shortly after, Zavits is killed when he runs into the street in front of a fire truck. When the NSA discovers that Dean might have the video, Reynolds's team raids his house and plants surveillance devices. They then disseminate false evidence to implicate Dean of working with the mob family of Paulie Pintero and having an affair with ex-girlfriend Rachel Banks. The subterfuge destroys Dean's life: he is dismissed from his job, his bank accounts are frozen, and his wife Carla throws him out of the house.
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