Film Magazine Reviews - Enemy of The State (Hassan Mudhir)

Empire Film Reviews



http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=5045



The film review for this film starts off with the film name and the age rating next to it in brackets. Beneath this is the star rating system used and for this film, it was given four stars. The use of language used in the film is very descriptive and analytical. As it says ‘Set in and around Washington DC over Christmas, it has plenty to offer visually (Scott's lens laps up the winter chill, the fairy lights and the large government buildings), and it is against this handsome backdrop that the action takes place’. This allows the audience to have a picture of what the film may be like if they haven’t seen it before. The type of language used also makes the audience sympathise with the main actor (Will Smith). For example it says, ‘The ultra-secret National Security Agency (nicknamed No Such Agency), which is behind all this, targets the innocent Dean: he's smeared, loses his job, and is booted out of his delightful home.’ This is significant to the review because it allows the audience to express their sympathy with the character and also engages them within the story. Towards the end of the review (in the last paragraph) the type of language the editor uses starts to become more informal. ‘David Marconi's script clunks a little in the establishing scenes, but once Jason Lee makes his discovery and declares, "Fuck a duck!” it relaxes no end. When the NSA supernerds utter that era-defining phrase, "Gentlemen, we are back on-line!” it's as if they are taking over the world, not just Washington. Great fun.’ The use of this language allows a wider variety of audiences to understand the film, especially a younger audience. The target audience for this film is mainly young people aged 19-26 in my view and the editor uses language in a way that this type of audience can come to terms with. One example of this is shown in the opening paragraph of the review where the editor says ‘But when Scott's camera happens upon a decent story and some really fine performers, as with Crimson Tide, the effect is like having your inside leg stroked in the dark for two hours. Enemy of the State is like that.’ In this case, the writer uses a simile to compare the movie to something else and this is a good writing technique. The element of the film which the reviewer tends to focus on is the setting of the film and how the director uses this as an advantage for the whole film. ‘Set in and around Washington DC over Christmas, it has plenty to offer visually (Scott's lens laps up the winter chill, the fairy lights and the large government buildings), and it is against this handsome backdrop that the action takes place.’ As the film is set in the heart of New York City, this is a excellent setting for a high-paced, action packed movie such as this one and the editor puts a lot of emphasis on this. Overall, I feel that this is a solid review for the film as the editor covers the main aspects which the audience will want to know.

Total Film Reviews

http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/enemy-of-the-state

This film review also starts offf in the same manner; with the name of the film at the top, the rating of the film given by the review website and the release date of the film. The type of language used is very attractive and starts off in a wway that will make the reader want to continue to read on. It starts off by describing the film as ‘Brash, big and loud. And this instanly draws the attention o the audience. In the opening paragraphy, teh reviewer also state sthe main conventions taht you wouyld expect to see in an action film, ‘Buildings blow up, cars crash, men brawl, men bond.’ He then goes son to say ‘In other words, Scott and Bruckheimer are making movies for the 15-year-old boy in all of us. Got a problem with that?’ He uses a rhetorical question at the end and this is a tool people use in debate to avoid making an outright declaration, but at the same time still being able to make a point, and in this case the writer is trying to say that everyone one who watches these types of films has a 15-year-old boy inside them. In the second paragraph, the writer describes the plot of the film and in some instances he uses informal language. ‘The friend sprints off to his death and Dean goes home to his yuppie townhouse, never imagining that he's carrying a thingummybob of government-toppling proportions.’ This is done in order for the younger target audience to relate to the film and ultimately, they are used to seeing this type of language being used. The type of language used is predominantly descriptive and this is beneficial for the audience as they can have an in sight into what the film is going to be about. The writer also says that the director ‘delivers plenty of visual flair.’ He also compares some scenes of the film to other movies such as ‘Diva, The Conversation, Mission: Impossible and even The Truman Show.’ In the review, the writer mainly focuses on the actors and the narrative. ‘In Enemy Of The State, all these things happen to, and around, Washington DC lawyer Robert Dean, played (mostly straight) by Men In Black star Will Smith.’ In this case, the writer is reminding the reader what previous films Will Smith has appeared in and promotes the actor. The writer also says ‘Hackman and Smith spar like a pair of top heavyweights and Scott has enough experience to keep out of their way.’ The writer compares the way the two actors act in the film to ‘a pair of top heavyweights’. The writer also focuses on the narrative of the film and does this in a structured way in terms of how the film is being showed chronologically. The writer also addresses the message which the film sends out. He says that the film raises serious questions about privacy versus national security. This enables the audience to contemplate the other side of the movie and the message which it sends across to global audiences. Ultimately, this is a good review and gives the reader a general overview of how the film is like and this is supported by the fact that the writer focuses on the narrative of the film.  

Urban Cinefile Reviews

http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=1909&s=Reviews

The review on this website is very plain and basic but includes interesting sections about the film. The review starts off by summarising the plot of the film and it also includes some rhetorical questions, asking the audience ‘But who is Brill? A tough-talking stranger (Gabriel Byrne) who corners him in a lavatory? A pugnacious nerd (Gene Hackman) who threatens him with bodily harm? Or someone else?’ this attracts the attention of the audience and puts them in a position fir them to go and watch the film if they have not seen it already. The type of language that is used to communicate with the target audience is very straightforward and is done in a way for the audience to understand with ease. However, this point may be contradicted by the fact that the sentences that are used within the review are very long, therefore it makes it hard for the reader to digest as there are no breaks for the reader. The main element of the film which the writer tends to focus on is the actors once again. ‘Will Smith proves he can carry a film as a dramatic lead, joining the ranks of Wesley, Denzel, Samuel, Angela, et al. (It’s no longer sheer tokenism that puts black actors in top roles).’ In this case, the writer also compares Will Smith to other top black actors who dominate in the film industry. Also, as in the previous review, the writer inputs the message in which this film is trying to convey. ‘This film suggests – and demonstrates with its hypothetical story – that more surveillance is a bad and dangerous thing for you and me. So there is a moral/political issue to give the film ballast, while the private and personal stories gives it the zing to hook us.’    In general, this film review is very simple and uncomplicated and this is beneficial to the audience but on the other hand, one may look at this review and say that t doe snit go much into depth about other aspects of the film which the writer could have covered in his review.

Film poster annotation - Hassan Mudhir (Enemy of the State)

         This is the film poster for the film I am analysing, Enemy of the State. As we can see, the overall layout of the poster is very unique. The main character (Will Smith) is placed in the middle of the poster and this emphasises that he is the main figure in the film. Then, placed at the top and bottom of the film is the main antagonist of the film Gene Hackman. His face is not shown in full view, which adds a sense of mystery to the story line as to what his character actually is. The genre of the film is communicated to the target audience through several aspects. First of all, the title of the film suggests that the film is going to contain elements of fighting and shooting (typical conventions you would expect to see in an action film). Another way in which the film genre is communicated in the poster is seen through the facial expressions of Will Smith which he seems to be quite worried and troubled. This can also be said or the other character shown in the poster as he seems to be anxious to know what is happening and this can be linked to an action film through the sense that many things are bound to happen in these types of films. The poster is in black and white and this is done to portray that the film may be unpredictable to the audience targeted.

           The main unique selling point of the poster are the actors in the film but mainly the main actor who is Will Smith and this is shown by the fact that the image of him is the largest on the poster The unique selling point of the film in my opinion is the actual theme of the whole poster. Gene Hackman is also a main actor in teh film asnd this si shown because his image is in the poster at the top and bottom.  The poster also includes effects such as sniper targets and as illustrated in the poster, the target in this film is Will Smith. It also gives the audience an idea that he is being followed by the government for important information.  Also another clever tool used is the way in which the release date of the film is shown; in a way which a countdown of a bomb which is about to go off and is very unique and fitting for an action film.

The use of written language and fonts is very typical for an action film poster. The title of the film is illustrated on the poster twice and is in capital letters to make it bold and stand out. The two main characters starring in the film are also shown twice in the poster and are above the title. There is also a small print at the very bottom of the poster which states all the actors in the film, the director, producer etc. There is also a caption used stating ‘Its not paranoia if there really after you’. This indicates that the main character may have thought that he was paranoid but when he found out that the state were really after him, it eventually eliminated that thought.

From analysing the poster, it seems that the target audience that the film is aimed at is for young – middle aged people who have an interest in action films. The way in which the poster is shown seems to be quite modern at the time in which the film was released (1998) and also the actor (Will Smith) was quite young when the film was released, so a younger audience may take interest in this film.

Textual Analysis - Enemy of the State (Hassan Mudhir)

Textual Analysis of a Similar Media Product

Title of film: Enemy of the State

Date of release: 26 December 1998 (UK)

Director: Tony Scott

Genre: Action

Sub-genre: Drama, Thriller

Trailer:

The film is about a lawyer who becomes targeted by a corrupt politician and his NSA goons; he then accidentally receives key evidence to a serious politically motivated crime. The equilibrium is started when a politician named Thomas Reynolds is negotiating with Congressman Phillip Hamersley about a new surveillance system with satellites. But, Hamersley declines, that is when Reynolds had Hamersley killed, but this murder was caught on tape, and this person was being chased by Reynolds' team of NSA agents. The equilibrium is then disrupted when the guy has to get rid of the tape, so he plants it on Dean, who is the innocent lawyer. That is when Dean's life began to fall apart all around him, with his wife and job both gone. The new equilibrium is set when he meets a man named "Brill" who tells him that Dean has something that the government wants. That is when Dean and Brill formulate a plan to get Dean's life back and turn the tables on Reynolds. The new equilibrium is the revolutin at the end of the film.

I am going to relate Levi Strauss’ theory of binary oppositions to this film. Binary oppositions is the principle of contrast between two mutually exclusive terms e.g. villain/hero and is an important concept of structuralism. One example of binary oppositions in the film is that of Dean (Will Smith) whose occupation is of a lawyer. In reality, a lawyer is a professional person authorised to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice. However, he is the one who is caught up in several problems and then need someone else to help him out. Enemy of the State is a classical tale of good versus evil, complete with tortured hero and powerful villain.

The film is in chronological order because the plot is clearly set for the audience to understand. The basis of the plot revolves around Robert Dean, an average family man who suddenly finds his life in a complete mess when an old acquaintance slips a top secret video tape into his shopping bag. (This plot is very similar to the plot of the film we are going to make). When agents understand that Dean is in possession of the tape, they proceed to ruin his career, family and life, then leading to Dean’s fight back. Therefore, the storyline is evidently set out in a sequential order and there are no jumps in the storyline.

The narrative structure of the film is closed narrative. This is because the audience can judge from the characters who are the villains and who the heroes are and it has a clear resolution. Whereas, if it was open narrative, (for example) today’s villain may be next weeks helper and it has no clear resolution. Another aspect which makes the film closed narrative is the fact that the audience feel gripped and constrained when they are watching the film. An example of a scene in the film where the audience feel gripped is when Dean is being chased by the villains on the motorway.

The extent to which the characters are typical of the genre of the film which is predominantly action in terms of behaviour is quite evident. This can be said for one of the villains, ‘Barry Pepper’ who is one of the guys who try to capture Dean and is quite aggressive in his behaviour and the props that he uses which is a gun. Also, the way in which ‘Barry Pepper’ and the other villain are dressed is also typical of an action/thriller film with black, disguised clothing and gloves.  The facial expressions of Dean are also quite typical of an action film especially in relation to the hero of a film. This is because Dean is seen with many worried facial expressions and scared of being hunted down by the criminals.

The extent to which the storyline is typical of the genre of the film (action) is clear to be seen. There are many typical conventions that are usually seen in an action film which is what makes the storyline is intriguing to the viewer. After finding Dean's business card on Zavitz's body, the agents visit Dean posing as detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. Unaware that Zavitz gave him the video, Dean tells them he has no knowledge of their allegations that he was passed "sensitive materials," denying them access to his bags without a warrant. Dean then tries to find these materials, but unbeknownst to him, his son had already removed the device from his shopping bags. These materials, but unbeknownst to him, his son had already removed the device from his shopping bags.

The extent to which sound is typical of the genre the way in which sound is used in the film is quite typical of an action film to a certain extent. Diegetic sound is used in the film many times and one example is through the use of guns which can be heard during many occasions. You would expect to hear this in an action film and it helps the audience to recognise what sort of film it is. Non diegetic sound is also used in the film through the use of speech. A quotation from the film which shows that it is an action film is used by Dean who says “I'm sick of this; you either shoot me, or tell me what the fuck is going on!” This illustrates that it is an action film because he is talking about being shot and this is something you would usually associate with an action film.

The cinematography is typical of an action film to a certain extent. There are many long shots used within the film to show what is happening within the film and what is happening. There are also many close ups used to portray the facial expressions that the characters use (especially Dean) as he seems confused and worried most of the time. There are also many high angle shots used. This is done to show that Dean is being followed and observed as he possess an important government tape, it is an affective way of showing that he is being followed constantly. The editing that is used is very fast-paced and this is stereotypical of an action film and to show that many things are taking place at once and many straight cuts are used.