A Cultural Analysis of the Film Enemy of the State.

Authors Avatar

Cristofori

Eyes Above Us:

A Cultural Analysis of the Film Enemy of the State

        The highest executive leaders in today’s world posses information we as citizens do not know. Although this may be information we do not wish to know, much of it could easily change the way we view the world around us. The film Enemy of the State (1998) brings to life the reality of the powers inside our own government. It displays the power these agencies have and their willingness to use those powers. The technology they possess is the power that gives these groups the capability of entering into anyone’s life, destroying them at their own will. We as citizens can instantly become innocent bystanders in situations we know nothing about. The film brings to reality the likeliness of a high powered government agency corrupting and destroying our lives for something we didn’t know was happening. A brief contact with someone you never even knew could set off a chain of reactions, engaging you in a situation you are unaware of at the time, while having the government breathing right down your back.

        Before we can understand how quickly our lives can be taken out of our control, we must first understand the technology that is being used by the government. Imagine a group who knows everything about your life, a group that can find personal information about yourself with ease. Imagine being under their surveillance every second of the day, enabling them to track your position in mere seconds. Imagine a system so advanced, your bank accounts and credit cards can be depleted without your notice. Imagine a world where they can hear and record your every word. This is a world where others can destroy your life; this is the world you live in today. This is a world where we are no longer citizens of the country, but rather citizens of the government. After all, the government has acquired enough power to shape and run the world as they see fit. We do not control the truth around us; we are merely fish in the sea.

Join now!

        Though the level of equipment found in the film Enemy of the State is hard to find, it’s very real. To the citizens of the government, it is the future of technology. Yet, to a high profiled government agency such as the National Security Agency, it’s the technology of today. The NSA is a government agency that protects the United States in many ways. The film states that in 1980, the NSA used underground computers at Fort Meade in which it monitored phone calls for trigger words like "bomb," "president" and "Allah." If any of these words were heard, the computer ...

This is a preview of the whole essay