Enemy of the State

Every … now and then… my beloved and I are watching a film by either Ridley or Tony Scott. We’re watching in chronological order. There are, of course, spoilers.

Tony: 1998

J: Straight into the action – with the same credits sound effect as Top Gun.

A: I haven’t seen this in ages… is it pre-2001? Yes, 1998. Because whoa, the whole thing about spying on American citizens… feeling very apropos.

J: Oh the poor Goldie.

A: Given that I’m also currently obsessed with Person of Interest, this is feeling a bit surreal. Urgh surveillance state.

Watching the credits and wait what? Jack Black is in this?? I had forgotten that!

Lisa Bonet, you are awesome. Will Smith, you look sharp as a lawyer, but I’m a bit worried about the dealings you two appear to be having.

Video player! And a mafioso… uh, mob… in a kitchen. Seems a bit old-fashioned frankly. Oh and now we have a mini video cassette player in the woods. Naw, 90s.

J: Love a good ops center… ‘Call it a training Op’ …. Duh ….

A: There is just never any pretense that Voight is anything other than a villain. And the henchmen they hire to deal with the bird watcher – one of them is one of the Mormon bros in Ocean’s 11 (Scott Caan), and the other is Jake Busey, from Starship Troopers and the loins of Gary Busey.

Will Smith in the lingerie shop is hilariously cute. Even better is the way the shop attendant just patiently deals with it is magnificently realistic.

Huh, this is a Christmas movie. This could make a good double with Die Hard.

And now we’ve had Grant Heslov and Seth Green (uncredited!)… this movie has a great cast.

J: Love a bit of unrealistic satellite ‘retasking’

A: Zavitz going down in front of the bus is way cold.

Regina King is also completely awesome, and you know what Robert maybe you shouldn’t patronise your wife quite so automatically. Just a thought.  

J: Phones more than any other device date movies from 1990 onwards…

A: The relationship between Robert and his son is also really cute.

J: And now we are reviewing footage ‘Rotate 75 degrees around the vertical axis’ … ‘Enhance’ …  ‘Enhance’ … this is the stuff that makes a nerd crazy.

A: Rat. Dogs. Seriously just no.

Huh. Vague attempt at making Reynolds’ character have somewhat altruistic motives – we’re doing it to catch the crims! Honest!

J: This film is doing a great job of a slow and steady setup.

A: The way the film suggests someone’s life can be completely destroyed is deeply troubling.

AAAH Gabriel Byrne! This cast is amazing!

J: And now, finally … It’s on.  Normally I don’t go in for the whole thriller build up…

A: YAY GENE HACKMAN

J: Yup, gotta be one of his more likable characters too.

A: Y’know, having watched all the ways that the government could trace Dean, I’m not so sure that Brill is unrealistically paranoid.

A tall black man stripping for a middle aged Asian couple, where at least she is quite amused, is one of the funniest bits of the film.

J: Ok now I can breathe, awesome chase sequence finally over.  I think something great with this film is everything is ‘real’ and plausible… if unlikely.

A: Rachel’s death is the worst part of the film.

“The more technology you use, the easier it is for them to keep tabs on you.” Ladies and gentlemen, pre Facebook and Twitter. Also they’re already talking, in 1998, about Allah being a flagged word.

J: Sometimes I really want to live in a cabin in the woods, off the grid.

A: Or we could be like Brill and live in what is effectively a Faraday cage.

J: Not effectively … it IS a Faraday cage. WIth explosives…

A: Yes. I know.

Gene Hackman: the dude who used to make the things that make your life unsafe, now running from those same things.

Meanwhile I don’t think a labor lawyer all that easily just uses a pump-action shotgun to shoot at a helicopter.  

Brill might be nicer in some respects than the submarine captain, but he does have some of the same temperamental tics. I like Brill’s cat more than the rat-dog on the sub, though.

NSA director heads: one black man, one woman, lots of old white men.

J: And now the twists start… Who’s good, who’s bad ?

A: BAHAHA setting up the NSA goons with the Pintero mafia goons is gold. The misunderstandings in this scene reach epic proportions. And so does the gun fight.

J: Yup, that escalated quickly.

A: I love this ending.

Basically then this is a super fast paced and thrilling movie, that never takes itself too seriously and never gets too complicated and while a woman dies, and it might be considered fridging, it actually does make sense within the context of the plot. And it’s a movie that leaves me wanting to abandon aaaallll social media.