10) Enemy Of The State
Just what the kids want: a Tony Scott-directed techno-thriller that culminates in a shootout wherein almost the entire supporting cast is massacre. A kind of The Conversation for the late 90s, Enemy of the State is a good example of what happens when Disney stumps up the money but then hands the reins over to Jerry Bruckheimer.
There’s swearing, there’s blood and there’s Will Smith running down a highway in just his underwear. It’s one of Tony Scott’s best works, an underrated spy movie for the post-Cold War world, and absolutely not something that you should be letting the kids watch. See it yourself though, if only for a reminder of how brilliantly grumpy Gene Hackman could be before he retired from acting.
9) The Fifth Estate
Disney and Julian Assange, it’s the perfect combination. Unusually for Disney, who actually released the film under their name (odd, because they often tend to distance the serious stuff from the Disney name), The Fifth Estate was a monumental flop both at the box and with critics. It generated just $8.6 million in ticket sales from a $26 million budget and reviews suggested it was a mere “data dump devoid of drama” (thank you, Wall Street Journal).
Did The Fifth Estate deserve such a fate? Absolutely. Bar Benedict Cumberbatch, the film is a total washout, and even he has to deal with the indignity of wearing one of the worst movie wigs your eyes will ever see. The real Julian Assange hated the film, but then again, he hates anything establishment. And you don’t get much more establishment than Disney.
Published: May 28, 2016 02:49 pm