Enemy of the state
The 1998 film Enemy of the State explores the creeping totality of the surveillance society. It goes beyond the
conclusion of the ACLU report and finds that we have already crossed the midnight mark. The idea of a
surveillance society is not a piece of science fiction or some future possibility, but rather the reality of the
present. In presenting this harrowing portrait, the film also critiques the surveillance society by challenging
the primary justification for increased surveillance,
underscoring the potential abuse of the tools of surveillance, and disputing the basic assumption that images
represent absolute truth. However, despite these criticisms, the film ultimately suggests that the surveillance
society is inescapable.
At the most basic level, Enemy of the State effectively captures the all-surrounding nature of the modern
surveillance society. Watching the film, the viewer is bombarded with cameras, surveillance technology, and
satellite images at every turn. This barrage of images reinforces the central message over and over again: the
camera is always watching.
This cinematic technique is strikingly similar to the photographic tactic that Frank Thiel employs in his 1997- 99
work, City TV (Berlin). In this series, Thiel presented 101 photographs of surveillance cameras to emphasize the
predominance of video control in the public sphere. As Sabine Himmelsbach explains: “The focus on the cameras
themselves imparts a notion of totality.
The repetition of the pictorial motif intensifies the
statement. The cameras are found everywhere<The
large number of silent observers conveys a sense of total
surveillance.” Along the same line, we witness the
watchful gaze of the camera at every step in Enemy of the
State. From the two-minute montage of satellite images,
car chase footage, and video cameras that opens the film
(see above) to the hidden cameras in Robert Dean’s
home at the end, the viewer is presented with a world that
is under constant surveillance.
Enemy of the State, also emphasizes that images can
often be misleading. For example, the FBI photographs of
Robert at Pintero’s place insinuate that Robert has mafia
connections that do not exist. Similarly, when Carla sees
the photographs of Robert and Rachel Banks together in
the park, she assumes that Robert is lying and having
another affair when that is not the case at all. Finally,
donning a police officer uniform towards the end of the
film, Brill makes the FBI agents think that Reynolds and
his cronies have kidnapped and bloodied a cop. The film
takes yet another jab at the idea of a surveillance society
by undermining the very foundation upon which this reality
is built.
In the end, though, Enemy of the State suggests that
there is no escape from the surveillance society. Time
and time again the film reinforces the message that we
are trapped in this state. While some may argue that Brill
is able to escape, he only does so as a social outcast who
follows strict rules to avoid the watchful gaze of the
camera. His description of his workplace as “unplugged
from the world” perfectly sums up his position. In order to
escape the surveillance society, he must abandon all
notions of normality and constantly live on the periphery.
This lifestyle is hardly an appealing alternative people.
Even those who control the tools of surveillance fall victim
to its power. After following Robert’s every move
throughout the film, these men ultimately have the
camera’s gaze turned back onto them. In addition, the film
(through Brill’s words) proposes an intriguing explanation
for the inability to escape the surveillance society: “the
more technology you use, the easier it is for them to keep
tabs on you.” As long as we fawn over the newest
technology, we continue to enhance the power of the
surveillance society.
According to a September 2007 report by the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), we are on the verge of
entering an era of complete surveillance: “It’s six minutes
before midnight as a surveillance society draws near in
the United States<we confront the possibility of a dark
future where our every move, our every transaction, our
every communication is recorded, compiled, and stored
away, ready for access by the authorities whenever they
want.”
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