Will Smith, Gene Hackman and the Tony Scott movie ‘Enemy of the State’

Looking for an action-packed movie with a sharp storyline with a star-studded cast led by director Tony Scott? The movie Enemy of the State (1998) offers much for you in these regards, plus is as much a Christmas movie as the movie Die Hard (1988) will ever be.

(From left, Will Smith as Robert Clayton Dean and Gene Hackman as Edward Lyle in the Tony Scott movie Enemy of the State).

Robert Clayton Dean and Edward Lyle, as portrayed by Will Smith and Gene Hackman respectively, are reluctantly pulled together in a bizarre string of events in Enemy of the State. The individual stories underpinning this pairing begins in advance of their awareness of one another when the ambition of Thomas Brian Reynolds, as portrayed by Jon Voight, sets something much bigger in motion.

(From left, Regina King as Carla Dean and Will Smith as Robert Clayton Dean in the Tony Scott movie Enemy of the State).

The familial life of Robert Clayton Dean is introduced with an introduction to Eric and Carla Dean, portrayed by Jascha Washington and Regina King, respectively. This occurs after learning that Robert is a lawyer in the crosshairs of Mob Boss Paulie Pintero, as portrayed by Tom Sizemore, and has been threatened.

(From left, Lisa Bonet as Rachel F. Banks and Will Smith as Robert Clayton Dean in the Tony Scott movie Enemy of the State).

When actions initiated by Thomas Bryan Reynolds get out of hand, Robert Clayton Dean is sucked into the suspense and action along with former college love interest Rachel F. Banks, as portrayed by Lisa Bonet. Neither were seeking a spotlight to their relationship, and the well written storyline ties together the backstory of these with an emotional punch.

(Prominently from left – Jon Voight as Thomas Brian Reynolds, Will Smith as Robert Clayton Dean and Tom Sizemore as Mob Boss Paulie Pintero in the Tony Scott movie Enemy of the State).

With keeping much of the David Marconi screenplay details held back for you to focus on watching the movie, let me be clear that the movie moves quickly and is an opportunity for clear action and suspenseful punch. The movie is consistent in storyline and built from a premise that, admittedly far-fetched in certain aspects, is based in motivations that are spot on and real life.

(From left, director Tony Scott and actor Will Smith on set of the Tony Scott movie Enemy of the State).

This reviewer for one enjoyed the experience of Enemy of the State. The initial premise is offered right off the bat. The action moves quickly and the pace of the movie is even, smart and kept me in my seat for the duration. For these reasons, I give Enemy of the State as directed by Tony Scott 4.00-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, March 13, 2021

Tom Hanks in the Steven Spielberg war film ‘Saving Private Ryan’

It has been 75-years and one-month since Operation Overlord, aka the Normandy Invasion of World War Two, occurred on June 6th, 1944. The movie Saving Private Ryan (1998) shows a highly realistic depiction of the human cost of a decisive invasion of World War Two, culminating in the central stories of a group of soldiers tasked with saving one soldier, Private James Francis Ryan, whose three brothers had died in separate battles of the same war.

(Left to Right Adam Goldberg as Private Mellish, Vin Diesel as Private Caparzo, Tom Sizemore as Sergeant Horvath, and Tom Hanks as Captain Miller in the film Saving Private Ryan).

The United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, gives the order to alleviate the grief of Private James Francis Ryan’s mother shortly after the Normandy Invasion. It is Marshall who decides to send out 8 men (Captain Miller as played by Tom Hanks and select members from 2nd Rangers). These rangers had experienced the brutality of war in advance of the mission of mercy, and it was from their reputation for capability and excellence that many of these eight rangers would give their lives in saving the bereavement of a fourth child in seeking James Francis Ryan, as portrayed by Matt Damon.

(Barry Pepper as Private Jackson, left, and Giovanni Ribisi as T-4 Medic Wade in the film Saving Private Ryan).

The mission for bringing Private Ryan home takes the 8 men through Nazi occupied territory to establish contact with Ryan’s unit, an element of the 101st Airborne Division. The war thriller of a movie brings the reality of history’s bloodiest war does a remarkable and compassionate means of bringing the humanity of the soldiers and in some cases civilians into full emotional color. The reality of broken and lost families in a time of full blown war, and the emotional toll of a mission that poses the question of what is an appropriate cost for compassion. The film hits on multiple scores in showing a breadth of human emotion in excruciating detail that resonates for me.

(Matt Damon as Private James Francis Ryan, left, and Edward Burns as Private Reiben in the film Saving Private Ryan).

Matt Lynn Digital is a fan of movies produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, as was Saving Private Ryan. It is with high appreciation of the craft of this film that we recommend you see this film for its humanity, its truth, and that it steps out of the normal fare of a Steven Spielberg film while maintaining the moral compass that we appreciate in movies by this consummate maker of movies. Overall, I give Saving Private Ryan 4.5-stars on a scale of one-to-five stars.

Matt – Saturday, July 6, 2019