2. Enemy of the State (1998)
Arguably the greatest use of Tony Scott's penchant for freneticism was in his superb paranoia thriller
Enemy of the State, which saw Will Smith's lawyer Robert Clayton Dean chased over Washington DC, as he gets caught up in a conspiracy by rogue NSA agents after they end up killing a US congressman. Most arresting is the film's stunning - if exaggerated - depiction of the US government's efficiency at surveilling its own citizens, with satellite cameras making it possible for their agents to accurately pinpoint just about anyone moving on the ground. Scott's style complements this narrative perfectly, and both Smith and Hackman - the latter playing an inspired part that reflects his role in
The Conversation - are firing on all cylinders, as is the extensive supporting cast. The film opened the floodgates for plenty of similar thrillers in its wake, but few could measure up to the deft mix of thrills and smarts that defined this crackling picture.