A man who never wanted to be a hero finds himself one anyway. That’s the setup for Enemy of the State, and the film spends nearly two hours proving that setup was right.
Trailer, via HD Retro Trailers.
The Setup
Robert Redford plays a lawyer whose son is caught up in a murder investigation. He watches helplessly as his son’s life spirals out of control. Then he gets a call from a man named Conrad Brean, played by James Mason, who tells him the government is watching everyone.
Brean is a former CIA analyst turned private investigator. He warns Redford that the National Security Agency has turned its surveillance powers on ordinary citizens, and that Redford’s son is being used as leverage. The warning comes too late. Redford’s son disappears, and Redford is drawn into a fight against the very system he thought protected him.
The Chase
The second half turns into a chase movie. Redford goes on the run, pursued by agents led by Gene Hackman. The film leans heavily on car chases, aerial footage, and a plot that moves between Washington D.C., New Orleans, and Mexico. It’s fast, loud, and often thrilling, even when the logic stretches thin.
The Message
Enemy of the State isn’t subtle about its message. The film argues that the NSA has become a tool for political control, and that privacy has been sacrificed on the altar of national security. That argument still holds weight today, though the film treats it as a new revelation rather than a familiar fear.
The problem is that the film doesn’t trust its audience to follow the technical details. It explains the workings of the NSA’s eavesdropping technology through Brean’s lectures, delivered in full voice-over. The information is interesting, but it’s also slow, and it breaks the flow of the action.
The Cast
The performances carry the film when the script flags. Redford plays a man pushed to the edge with a quiet desperation. Hackman plays the agent hunting him with a cold, professional calm. Mason plays the mentor figure with a wry wit. Whitney Houston shows up as Redford’s wife, and her scenes add a domestic tension the film needed.
The supporting cast is strong, but the script doesn’t always give them room to breathe. Some characters exist only to deliver exposition, and that’s a shame.
The Weak Points
The film’s weaknesses are structural. The pacing sags in the middle, and the final act rushes to wrap up threads that could have been resolved more slowly. The villain is thin, and the resolution feels rushed rather than earned.
There are also moments where the film strains credibility. A character’s ability to avoid detection stretches the limits of belief, and the film doesn’t bother to explain why its methods work. This is a chase movie dressed up as a thriller, and the chase loses focus along the way.
What Works
The best sequences are the ones that lean on tension rather than spectacle. A scene where Redford is followed through a crowded airport, or a moment where he realizes he’s being watched in his own home, lands better than the action set pieces. Those quieter beats are where the film’s central idea is clearest.
The film also benefits from a score that knows when to pull back. The music is used sparingly, which makes the few moments of orchestral build more effective.
Ranking the Elements
- Performances — Redford, Hackman, Mason — are the strongest element of the film.
- The message about privacy and surveillance holds up.
- The chase sequences are well staged.
- The script’s technical explanations are the weakest link.
- The villain and the ending feel rushed.
Final Word
Enemy of the State is a solid, if uneven, thriller. It has a strong cast, a timely message, and some genuinely tense moments. But the script’s flaws keep it from greatness. The film’s reliance on lecture-style exposition and its rushed final act hold it back.
It’s worth watching for the performances and the ideas, but it’s not a perfect picture.
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