Jason Robards as Congressman Phil Hammersley in Enemy Of The State (1998)
In a movie that rarely stops to take a breath amid non-stop action, the opening sequences are vitally important to give real momentum to that forward motion. It is in these early scenes that Jason Robards appears in an uncredited cameo, and the fate of his character is the event that sets off the chain reaction that constitutes the rest of the story.
Congressman Phil Hammersley meets with NSA official Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight) to discuss Reynolds’ plan to push through an expansion of surveillance powers of the government under the murky blanket of counter-terrorism legislation. Hammersley refuses to be persuaded to support the measures, as he advocates the protections of privacy for U.S citizens.
Angered at the opposition, Reynolds has a team murder Hammerley, and stage his death to look self-inflicted. However, it soon transpires that the entire event was captured on film by a wildlife photographer.
A significant part of the impact of this scene is the fact that it is a confrontation between two immediately recognizable and legendary actors. Jason Robards and Jon Voight have built their careers upon heavy-weight roles in notable projects, and so opening Enemy Of The State with a violent meeting between the two brings all of that history and gravitas to bear right from the start.
Published: Jul 3, 2015 04:34 pm