9 Best Movies Like Enemy Of The State That You Will Enjoy Watching Update 03/2024

Movies Like Enemy Of The State

Directed by Tony Scott and written by David Marconi, the ‘State Enemy’ is a thriller that follows the story of a group of NSA agents who conspire to kill a congressman and try to hide it after a murder tape has been discovered. The movie stars Will Smith and Gene Hackman: Jon Voight, Bonet Lisa, Byrne Gabriel, Butler, Loren Dean, Busey Jake, Pepper and King Regina, It is shot by Dan Mindel from South Africa, edited by Chris Lebenzon; and Harry Gregson-Williams and Trevor Rabin compose the background.

On 20 November 1998, the film was released and received positive reviews for its narrative structure, direction and performance. Several critics have noted the similarities between the action-thriller and Francis Ford Coppola’s celebrated mystery thriller ‘The Conversation’ (1974).

I have considered films thematically and stylistically similar to this Tony Scott flick for this article. Therefore, without further ado, the best films like the ‘Enemy of the State’ are our recommendations. You can watch several of the movies on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime like ‘Enemy of the State.’

1. The Negotiator (1998)

The Negotiator (1998)

Directed by F. Gary Gray and co-written by James DeMonaco and Kevin Fox, “The negotiator” is followed by the veteran negotiator, Lieutenant Danny Roman, who is under threat when accused of corruption and murder. He invades a government office in a frantic attempt to prove his innocence and captures several people in order to win the attention and time needed to show his innocence.

The film stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey, whose chemistry onscreen defines the sound of the film. ‘Negotiator’ received positive reviews and many commended the performance and the memorable dialogue. Roger Ebert best summarized the film’s positives in his review by saying that “The negotiator is a victory between style and story and character acting… Much of the movie consists of just the close-ups, but it isn’t just a dialog because the actors make it even more—invest with conviction and urgency…” At the Saturn Awards, the action thriller won the “Best Action or Adventure Film.”

2. Strange Days (1995)

‘Strange Days’ is a science fiction thriller followed by a former cop-turned street hustler that accidentally uncovered a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999. The film’s roots are in classical science fiction and film noir genres, led by Kathryn Bigelow and written by James Cameron and Jay Cocks. The ‘Strange Days’ was, unfortunately, a commercial failure, grossing a meagre $8 million against a $42 million budget, StarringRalph Fiennes, Angela Bassett and Juliette Lewisin major roles. At the time of its release the film received tidy reviews from critics. Most critics praised the direction and the performance, but were greatly postponed with extreme violence. Over the years, however, ‘Strange Days’ has undergone a revaluation and a strong cultivation.

3. The Parallax View (1974)

The Parallax View (1974)

Run by old filmmaker Alan J. Pakula, and co-wrote by David Giler and Lorenzo Semple Jr., ‘The Parallax View’ is followed by an ambitious reporter, Joseph Frady, who encounters huge difficulties as he investigates the assassination of the Senator. The investigation leads to dark areas by uncovering an enormous conspiracy involving a multinational company. The film is the second installment of Pakula’s political trilogy consisting of “Klute” (1971). (1976). Although the political thriller is not as famous as the two films, it’s pretty good. The film rates Rotten Tomatoes at 93 percent.

4. Inside Man (2006)

Heist thriller, Denzel Washington stars ‘Inside Man’ like Detective Keith Frazier, a shrewd detective, Clive Owen like Dalton Russell, a perceptive bank robber and Jodie Foster as the High Power Broker Madeleine White, who enters high-level negotiations after Russell’s seemingly brilliant heist, falls apart completely and becomes a situation as a reactionary. Directed by Spike Lee and written by Russell Gewirtz, the film is driven by the three actors’ strong performances. ‘Inside Man’ won enormously positive reviews with a quick and sophisticated screenplay. The film was also a profit-making enterprise, as it was $184.4 million for a $45 million budget.

5. Three Days of the Condor (1975)

Three Days of the Condor (1975)

A political thriller, ‘Three Days of the Condor,’ follows Joseph Turner, a CIA scholar, who, after finding out that his colleagues are all dead, must take the opportunity to outwit its people. However, he realizes that there are few that he could trust. The documentary, directed by Sydney Pollack and co-written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel has been adapted from a novel by James Grady, an American author and journalist, published in 1974, entitled ‘Six Days of the Condor.’ With an impressive performance as protagonist and a clean screenplay by Robert Redford, ‘Three Days of the Condor’ received positive feedback.

6. Pi (1998)

The story of Maximilian “Max” Cohen, written and directed by Darren Aronofsky, is the story of a paranoid mathematician who has a fixation to find a key number that he says unlocks the universal patterns found in nature. The film saw Aronofsky’s debut and gives us an insight into the maverick filmmaker’s bizarre mind. The psychological thriller film explores different topics like religion, mysticism and the uncovered aura and mathematical horror. ‘Pi’ premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received very positive critical reviews. The American film director won the “Best First Screenplay” award at the Sundance Film Festival and the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

7. JFK (1991)

JFK (1991)

Directed by Oliver Stone and co-written by Zachary Sklar’s JFK, it examines the events leading to the killing and alleged cover-up of John F. Kennedy. The story comes from the perspective of former New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, who together with a team investigates the President’s assassination and reveals a much deeper and darker conspiracy.

Kevin Costner plays major roles as Garrison, Kevin Bacon as Willie O’Keefe, Tommy Lee Jones as Clay Shaw, and Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald. JFK was composed of two novels, one by the journalist Jim Marrs, ‘On the Trail of the assassins’ (1988) and the other by Crossfire: The Plot The Killed Kennedy. ‘JFK’ was tightly examined in order to change important historical facts. However, the political thriller became a critical sweetheart and a commercial success. A sum of $205.4 million from a budget of $40 million, the award-winning film of the Academy was one of the biggest films of its year.

8. In the Line of Fire (1993)

A political thriller, ‘The Line of Fire,’ is the story of Frank Horrigan who chooses to expose and find the murderer, disillusioned after being unable to save John F. Kennedy. The stars of Clint Eastwood as the protagonist and John Malkovich as Mitch Leary, directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by Jeff Maguire, ‘In the Line of Fire’ The film received positive reviews and many applauded the direction and the performances. ‘In the line of fire’ is a must-watch with 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

9. Missing (1982)

Missing (1982)

Directed by Cosa-Gavras and co-written in Greek-French by Donald E. Stewart and Gavras, ‘Missing’ is based on the story of Charles Horman, an American journalist who disappeared in 1973, following the US-backed Chilean coup d’état, which deposed Salvador Allende, a democratically elected socialist president. The film takes place in events following the disappearance of Horman, when his father and wife investigate his disappearance. At the Film Festival in Cannes the historical drama premiere and won the prestigious Palme d’Or. In addition, the film received the “Best Adapted Screenplay” at the Academy and British Academy Film Awards after its theater release. ‘Missing’ was also included in the “Top Ten Films” list of the National Review Board. The film rates Rotten Tomatoes at 97 percent.