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‘Enemy of the State’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan

April 9, 2020 · Enemy of the State (1998) · Action · Thriller · 1:25:36

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 40:49The Jason Lee chase scene when they break into his apartment and he escapes

Apex Mountain

Chris Ryan▶ 41:20Running out of the back of stores (from the Jason Lee pancake chase scene)

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 59:30Lisa Bonet as number one, the cast as number two
Chris Ryan▶ 58:02The chase sequences in general, particularly how the disorientation puts you in Will Smith's shoes
Sean Fennessey▶ 59:34The whole premise of the movie - the government watching us and how technology invades our lives

What's Aged the Worst

Chris Ryan▶ 1:02:37Voight being pee whipped
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:02:35Suggests Voight being pee whipped but doesn't commit to it as his pick

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:48Tom Cruise — Lists casting alternatives: Tom Cruise originally signed but dropped for Eyes Wide Shut, Mel Gibson and George Clooney considered for Will Smith's part, Sean Connery was backup for Gene Hackman. Believes current casting worked out correctly.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:03:26Sean Connery — Proposes hypothetical: What if Connery and Hackman flipped roles between this movie and The Rock?

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:42Lillo Brancato — Lillo Brancato (the guy from The Bronx Tale who was also in The Sopranos and then went to jail)

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:37Aaron Sorkin, Henry Bean, and Tony Gilroy performed uncredited rewrites; NSA refused to cooperate; Will Smith's son uses NEC Turbo Express (failed Game Boy competitor); Thomas Reynolds' birth date 9-11-1940 matches date of first remote computer operation, weird coincidence three years before 9/11
Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:49Commentary on NSA refusing cooperation - sarcastically noted how obvious it was they wouldn't help with the production

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:09You made a phone call
Chris Ryan▶ 1:18:11Doesn't find the movie dialogue very scintillating, mentions general action phrases like 'go, go get them'
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:18:20Actually, I believe the term shyster is reserved for attorneys of the Jewish persuasion. I believe the proper term for me is eggplant

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:49Carla (Regina King's character) is definitely on Reddit conspiracy boards in 2020, commenting about Bill Gates microchips and elite virus conspiracies
Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:32What happened to Tom Sizemore between Heat and Enemy of the State - he aged 27 years in one presidential term due to illegal substances
Chris Ryan▶ 1:21:02Tom Sizemore leaned too much into 'the juice' (drugs) instead of balancing it with 'the action'
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:21:41Tom Sizemore's transformation also shows the dangers of big bowls of spaghetti and clam sauce

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:22:01Gene Hackman — Gene Hackman wins the movie, Lisa Bonet wins everything else
Chris Ryan▶ 1:21:56Gene Hackman
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:22:13Gene Hackman

Movies Referenced (65)

The Firm (1993)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 11:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Focus (2015)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 31:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Rock (1996)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:03:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Unforgiven (1992)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 11:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Angel Heart (1987)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 50:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bad Boys for Life (2020)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 25:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Crimson Tide (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 11:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gemini Man (2019)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 29:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Men in Black (1997)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 23:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

No Way Out (1987)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 11:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aladdin (1992)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 29:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (6)

Tony Scott

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Unstoppable, True Romance▶ 2:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Clooney

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Ides of March, Michael Clayton▶ 1:03:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jeff Probst

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 42:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Bay

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Armageddon▶ 1:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ang Lee

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Life of Pi▶ 30:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mel Gibson

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Braveheart, Conspiracy Theory▶ 1:03:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (67)

Gene Hackman

68 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The French Connection, The Royal Tenenbaums, Unforgiven▶ 2:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Will Smith

49 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Men in Black, I Am Legend▶ 2:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lisa Bonet

27 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Angel Heart, High Fidelity, Enemy of the State▶ 50:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason Lee

13 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Almost Famous, Chasing Amy, Vanilla Sky▶ 40:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Black

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for High Fidelity, School of Rock, Nacho Libre▶ 5:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Regina King

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The Harder They Fall▶ 7:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Sizemore

11 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down▶ 44:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Barry Pepper

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for True Grit, The Green Mile▶ 41:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Denzel Washington

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 12:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jon Voight

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Midnight Cowboy, Anaconda, Deliverance▶ 46:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason Robards

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for All the President's Men, Magnolia, Once Upon a Time in the West▶ 46:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anna Gunn

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Sully▶ 56:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (9)

Jerry Bruckheimer

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Top Gun: Maverick, Armageddon▶ 2:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aaron Sorkin

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for A Few Good Men▶ 18:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tony Gilroy

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Michael Clayton, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story▶ 18:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 32:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ali Bathgate

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for F1: The Movie, Enola Holmes▶ 47:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Henry Bean

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Lasseter

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for A Bug's Life, Cars▶ 23:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 40:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Gibson

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 9:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 1:24:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗