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Run of the mill

Suparn Verma

Control is a recurring theme in Hollywood. The James Bond movies, the conspiracy theories, the X-Files -- they are all about a culture thrown into chaos, a culture where Big Brother is watching and controlling every move we make.

The CIA, the FBI or the NSA -- as in the case of Enemy Of The State -- are all fighting internal wars, designing potential weapons and using gadgets that are decades ahead of the existing ones. And yes, they occasionally do hide facts about UFOs.

In the '70s, directors like Brian de Palma portrayed the distrust and paranoia of their generation through characters who were conspiracy theorists (Blow Out).. Later, Oliver Stone probed and sought several questions from the government in his Vietnam trilogy (Platoon, Born On The Fourth Of July, Heaven And Earth) as well as in films like JFK and Nixon. Francis Ford Coppola did his bit with The Conversation.

Today, fear is not the only key to controlling the sensibility of the masses; it has been replaced by paranoia. So writer David Marconi, along with director Tony Scott (True Romance, Crimson Tide) and producer Jerry Brucheimer (Armageddon, The Rock), churns out a yarn about the Privacy Acts Bill being tweaked in such a way that the NSA can listen in on any phone conversation and monitor what's going on inside homes, streets, offices -- in short, everywhere.

Sounds dangerous? You bet it does, especially to a Congressman who is eliminated by an ambitious and corrupt NSA administrator, Thomas Brian Reynolds (Jon Voight). The murder is filmed by a man with a camera which he uses to study the migrating patterns of ducks. The environmentalist -- now a wanted man -- runs for his life and comes across a hotshot labour lawyer, Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith). Unknown to him, the man-on-the-run slips the cassette containing the film into Dean's shopping bag.

After that, Dean's life falls apart like a ton of bricks. First his house is broken into, all his clothes and shoes are destroyed, leaving him with only one pair which is bugged, as is his house. The skeletons from his past come to haunt him in the form of ex-lover Rachel Banks (Lisa Bonet), prompting his wife (Regina King) to throw him out of the house. His credit cards are cancelled.

Dean thinks it's mafia boss Pintero (Tom Sizemore) who is behind all this. Reason: he managed to keep Pintero away from his client by blackmailing him with a video film showing Pintero hanging out with other dons.

The first 30 minutes and the last part of the film are fairly engaging and somewhat intelligent. But once Dean is on the run, the film seems nothing short of an MTV video with some really snazzy shots, editing, lighting... the works.

It would have perhaps helped if the film had taken a cue from the recent on-the-run Euro flick Run Lola Run, or the early '90s film, Run.

As the makers start to run out of ideas, they bring in Brill (Gene Hackman), an ex-NSA man who has gone underground. His entry is preceded by a you-blink-and-I'm-gone appearance by Gabriel Byrne. Brill lives in a huge, dilapidated industrial building, where his room has a wire fence instead of walls ("Their radio signals can't reach through these," he explains).

Once Hackman enters the scene, Smith takes a backseat and lets him take charge, except for the occasional jig.

The look of the film is the standard, off-the-line Tony Scott or Jerry Brucheimer production. Armageddon looked the same as Con Air and The Rock. Enemy Of The State is no exception, though it does boast of some neat digital gimmicks. One particularly spectacular shot is that of the satellite moving in on figures running on rooftops, roads, inside buildings, et al.

The soundtrack by Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson deserves a mention because it keeps pace with the film, which is mind-boggling at times. In retrospect, it's a good thing because it doesn't let viewers think about the plot's implausibility. Both Regina King and Lisa Bonet are wasted in their roles. John Voight is okay, his presence made stronger by a an extremely competent ensemble of cronies who include Jake Busey (Gary Busey's son) and Barry Pepper.

Will Smith is slowly emerging as an all-round star who can sing, dance, joke, fight and act. Though this film isn't among his best, it is not bad either. It has plenty of action and looks great. The highlight of the film, however, is Gene Hackman who manages to pack quite a punch -- like always!

Enemy Of The State, at best, is an average fare that has its occasional moments.

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