The idea for the movie ENEMY OF THE STATE began shortly after the Baltimore Sun Papers printed a six part Sunday Magazine article about the National Security Agency (NSA) a.k.a. No Such Agency. Walt Disney Productions/Touchstone Pictures saw the article and potential for a movie but felt that the NSA was one of those agencies that didn't attach to real people. They put their research division into action and eventually found my web site. Years ago I had sold Disney one of my countermeasure kits so when Executive Director Andy Davis called I assumed it was about the kit. We played phone tag for a while until we finally connected. Andy told me Disney wanted to incorporate my FBI story into the Baltimore Sun NSA story to make a movie. Sounded great. He invited me to California to meet with Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer sent the NSA articles and my FBI story to David Marconi a British screenplay writer. Screenplays form the shell of the movie and must be no longer than 120 pages. David realized he would have to divide me into two different and distinct characters. One, the technical wizard (played by Gene Hackman) and the other a victim of government abuse (played by Will Smith). Bruckheimer's writers and I took over from there and produced a script of over 2,500 triple spaced pages. Hundreds more pages were added as the movie progressed.

To learn about my involvement in this project click on your "FIND" tool (F3)  and type in "Kaiser".  "Kaiser" appears 14 times in the following text.  "Marty" occurs 6 times.

A Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Production

Touchstone Pictures

"ENEMY OF THE STATE"


Larger and costlier than the CIA, the National Security Agency at Fort Meade is fiercely secret about its work. What does it have to listen to now that the Cold War is over? Plenty. Scott Shane and Tom Bowman

The Baltimore Sun

Six part series, December 3-15, 1995

Privacy's been dead for 30 years because we can't risk it. The only privacy left is the inside of your head. You think we're the end of democracy? I think we're democracy's last hope.

Jon Voight as Thomas Brian Reynolds, NSA ENEMY OF THE STATE

Touchstone Pictures presents A Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Production, a Tony Scott Film, "Enemy of the State," starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman and Jon Voight. Directed by Tony Scott from a screenplay by David Marconi, the picture is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and executive produced by Chad Oman, James W. Skotchdopole and Andrew Z. Davis. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution distributes.

Rounding out the cast are actors Regina King, Loren Dean, Jake Busey, Barry Pepper, Gabriel Byrne, Tom Sizemore, Lisa Bonet, Jamie Kennedy, Ian Hart, Scott Caan and Jack Black. Joining the creative team is director of photography Dan Mindel, editor Chris Lebenzon, composers Trevor Rabins and Harry Gregson- Williams, stunt coordinator Chuck Picerni, Jr., technical advisor Martin Kaiser, special effects coordinator Mike Meinardus and costume designer Marlene Stewart.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and his late partner Don Simpson first began developing "Enemy of the State" in 1991. "It took a long time to get a screenplay," says Bruckheimer. "We started with a simple one line idea about a man whose electronic identity is stolen and manipulated, and asked a young writer, David Marconi to come in and develop it with us. It grew from there to encompass the more far reaching scope of institutionalized information gathering."

At the behest of Simpson and Bruckheimer, Marconi started doing extensive research. "After a lot of investigation, I eventually was able to come up with a boogie man - the National Security Agency, which at the time nobody had ever heard of," explains Marconi. "Their nickname was `No Such Agency.' The more I dug, the less I could find of these guys, so I realized that we had the possible making for a great story with powerful adversaries. If you take an idea like that and marry it to a `Three Days of the Condor' type of story, I thought it would turn into a good movie. Everyone at Simpson/Bruckheimer was very supportive - they gave me a green light and, off I went to write [the first draft of] the movie."

"I've always been interested in the inevitable questions surrounding the invasion of privacy," notes Bruckheimer. "With today's technology anything is possible and everything is probable. I don't think the public is truly aware of what's at stake in terms of an individual's privacy. But the other side of the controversy remains - we need to be able to protect our borders and our citizens. The NSA has been incredibly active in preventing terrorist attacks and finding those responsible for the rash of senseless bombings that have erupted recently."

Bruckheimer sent director Tony Scott one of the first drafts of the script several years ago, and although Scott was interested in the subject matter, he initially turned Bruckheimer down. But Bruckheimer would not take "no" for an answer. Scott eventually accepted. This is the duos fifth partnership on a motion picture.

"We've had enormous success together," says the producer of his association with Scott. "Dating back to `Top Gun,' we've been able to create some wonderful movies together. Tony has such a wonderful way of working with actors, pushing them beyond their capabilities to make them even better and bringing out abilities they never knew they possessed. He's really honed his story-telling skills and understands the dynamics behind a screenplay; he's developed into a truly accomplished director, rather than simply a brilliant visual artist, which of course, he is. I look forward to doing more pictures with him in the future."

The two soft-spoken Hollywood titans have been friends for years. They have made more than movies together; they have created a style that has changed fads in music, fashion, make-up and even Navy recruiting! Their four previous blockbusters include "Beverly Hills Cop II," "Top Gun," "Days of Thunder" and "Crimson Tide."

"The secret to Jerry's and my relationship is that he pulls one way and I pull the other," laughs Scott. "And somehow we come to the answer somewhere in the middle. He has the ability to step back from the movie making process and get a sense of the overall movie. He's amazingly articulate. We have enormous respect for one another."

Scott was on the lookout for a challenging project, but he wanted to do something with substance, something intriguing and of personal consequence. "I was always fascinated with the idea of surveillance," says Scott, "especially surveillance from hundreds of miles up in the atmosphere. And I was always a big fan of `Three Days of the Condor' and `The Conversation' and wanted to do a movie in that genre. The real challenge was to take this genre and reeducate the public about what goes on in the world today."

Scott is quick to point out that the concept behind the NSA and other such government agencies, as well as the notion of comprehensive surveillance systems and invasion of privacy, is a global situation. "It's what the entire world is succumbing to today. It has nothing to do with the American system. This could be anywhere in the world.

"It's never one thing that makes you do a film," further explains the director, "especially when it's two years out of your life and such a long haul. It's a combination of elements or always wanting to do a movie in the genre. All of a sudden the enthusiasm gets fired up and you think, `This would be great with Gene and Will.' So it's a combination of all those elements underneath an unbelievable cast that fit the roles. That's what keeps me alive - building all these positive ideas with the script." Both producer and director agreed the film was a character driven piece set against the world of surveillance and espionage. Their next step was to find the perfect actor for each role. Bruckheimer credits Scott with shifting the casting into high gear.

"Tony started the ball rolling," says Bruckheimer. "Once we got Tony, we went after Will and he committed right away. Getting Gene was a chore, he turned us down two or three times, but then Tony got on the phone with him and convinced him we had to work together again after such a terrific experience on `Crimson Tide.' We were very lucky." For Bruckheimer the casting process had never before been quite as auspicious an occasion. "This is one of the best casts we've ever put together," he states emphatically. "We were able to assemble an exceptional group of talent, selecting the best from the finest established actors of one generation to the younger, up and comers of Generation X who are just beginning to receive notoriety for their work." Bruckheimer has always been credited with an astute sense for hiring talent on the rise. His films have helped to catapult many fresh faces into Hollywood stardom, from Tom Cruise in "Top Gun" to Will Smith in "Bad Boys."

Bruckheimer and Scott are particularly keen on touting the newer faces in the film: Loren Dean ("Gattica"), Barry Pepper ("Saving Private Ryan"), Jake Busey ("Home Fries"), Scott Caan ("Varsity Blues"), Jason Lee ("Chasing Amy"), Jamie Kennedy ("Scream") and newcomer Jack Black. "I'm especially proud of our female leads," Bruckheimer continues. "This film marks Lisa Bonet's long awaited return to the screen and continues Regina King's ascent after her appealing performance in `Jerry Maguire' where she simply stole the show." True talent aficionados, Bruckheimer and Scott credit the cast with bringing their characters to life.

"Gene and Will are perfect for their roles, just in terms of their nature and temperament," notes Scott. "Regardless of who they are in the movie, these guys are perfect role models for the characters in the script. "I looked at Will in `Six Degrees of Separation' when he was so young. And I looked at the bits in `Bad Boys,' `Independence Day' and `Men in Black,' and the few times he had a serious moment, he handled them so well and his choices during those moments were so good, I knew he could handle something more serious," maintains Scott. "I watched him grow, in terms of the drama, from the first week of shooting to the last. He always wanted to take the scene and hang onto it, he always continued to pursue to get it right. He never wanted to cop out; he always wanted to confront it. And sometimes his eagerness to confront it made it more difficult for him - when he relaxed a bit more, he was simply great. I know the audience is going to go away saying, `Wow, Will really can act!' in terms of drama."

According to Scott, Will's role model for the character of Robert Clayton Dean was his real life wife, Jada Pinkett's uncle who is a lawyer, funny yet very serious about his work, a tenacious achiever. Smith felt compelled to tackle this dramatic role, working tirelessly on his performance. "My natural instincts are always comedic," says Smith. "But necessity is the mother of invention and having that tool taken away, I was forced to create something new and different. It's been a while since I did work that was emotionally demanding. This was a little harder, a little darker."

It was not until 10 days into shooting that Smith realized he was the principal star carrying the picture, working only limited days here and there with his fellow actors. "I was flipping through the script to get a sense of how many days I was going to be working," he says. "And it started to dawn on me that the weight was on my shoulders more than ever before. This film wasn't a buddy film. It's the first time that I've been completely out front, where the story is about my character. It's not just physically exhausting, the emotional aspect can be equally daunting - but I might just be getting older," he says, unable to suppress a big Will Smith smile. "I never once had a long look from him in a hundred days of shooting," says Scott of his actor. "The sweetness leaves everyone when they get tired, but Will was tireless in terms of wanting to get it better or doing a take again. He's great; he's a pleasure." Scott had such a terrific experience with the actor that he named his new Labrador retriever Will.

Like Scott, Bruckheimer is one of Smith's biggest fans. "If we could put Will in every movie, we'd do it," he declares. "Everybody can relate to Will; it's like he's everyone's next door neighbor, a friend, so they can see themselves in his position which is very important. He's very sympathetic and has such a commanding presence. But this role takes Will to a different level." A tech head himself, Smith was fascinated with the many pieces of technology used in the film. "All the music on my album is MIDI work. I'm always working with computers or working with my son on the computer, so I was pretty aware of technology. But visiting the CIA was another thing. It made me even more cognizant of the fact that the only privacy we truly have is what we keep in our minds. Once we say something, there can be a microphone; once we go out, there can be a camera, every aspect of your life can be monitored and that's what happens to Robert Clayton Dean. They destroy him. They ruin his credit, they create doubt in his wife using photographs, they give false information to his employer and they plant misinformation in the media. "What's really amazing is that you have to imagine that anything you see in a movie is probably already 10 to 15 years behind what they actually have," he says. "The things we saw in their archives - computers that could tell what you are typing on a typewriter just from the sound, cameras in toothpicks, and all of this technology was old, things they don't use anymore!
"You have to take the bad with the good," Smith says. "The speed at which we share information these days is wonderful, but there's also negative information out there. You can find all the advances in cancer treatment on the Internet, but you can also find out how to build a small nuclear device. "But it's important to consider that the sharing of information is also how we expand as human beings," he cautions. "Sharing information can help the next person grow."

Marconi was convinced anyone could manipulate modern technology (not to mention the press) to their advantage, enough to destroy a man's reputation and moreover, his life. "For Dean, I utilized the story of an innocent man who is basically taken apart and destroyed by a large corporation," says Marconi. "You see these circumstances in politics daily. You're guilty until proven innocent. Take a couple facts, mix them with a couple lies and leak it in the paper and boom, you've got a ruined reputation, a ruined career. It was that outrage that compelled me to create this character.

"There are people who have their identity stolen," he adds. "We all read articles and see stories on the news about this subject where people literally steal your identity and go around posing as you, getting credit cards and everything else and destroying your electronic identity. So it's also the story about how we have two identities - you have yourself, your physical identity, and you also have your electronic identity, which is completely subject and open to manipulation. There's also an electronic shadow that we leave wherever we go. It's about the future and about where we're going with it. I found it to be a very compelling story and wanted the film to serve as a wake up call. Obviously we can't stop the future, but what we can do is make sure that someone watches the watchdogs."

Pairing Will Smith with Oscarr-winners Gene Hackman and Jon Voight proved to be a creative windfall for the filmmakers. "Gene is always at the top of the list for me," says Bruckheimer. "He's a wonderful actor. Having him around gives rise to a more creative environment. He's very reserved and would probably be embarrassed to hear such accolades, but he raises everybody else to his level. He just has this effect on other actors, the crew, everyone, so it's great to have him around. The effect is compounded when you add Jon Voight to the mix." Hackman was particularly attracted to the "Everyman" aspect of the script. "Almost all of us has had some difficulty with governmental red tap and intrusion. I think all of us has a bit of paranoia about other people getting into our lives. "What's fascinating is that certain situations depicted in this film can really happen," states Hackman. "The government can go to great lengths to get information from someone if they want that information or feel it's necessary. I think we all believe this could happen to some degree. That's what's exciting about a film like this. "Brill is a bitter man," describes the actor of his character. "He's certainly willing to do what he can to throw some sand into the gears of the government."

Bruckheimer, Kaiser and Hackman during a break Hackman was Scott's only choice to play the secretive, underground operative. "Gene's character is another generation," he says. "Only a limited number of people had access to computers and the type of hardware we have today. Brill is of the old school so we took a lot of references from one of our surveillance experts, Martin Kaiser. I taped every meeting with Marty so we had all these transcripts to refer to, not only in terms of information about surveillance, but also for character reference. It's a great way of pulling lines from the real guys. I rely on technical advisors most of all for character reference. And that was what Gene did - I could see him observing Marty and he would take just a little bit there and it would surface a week later." Marty's technical expertise, ingenuity, coupled with his unique ability to quickly produce many of the props seen throughout the film was a major part of the films success. Writer Marconi describes one of the scenes that sets up the relationship between Dean and Brill. "There's a conversation Brill has with Robert Clayton Dean where he tells him, `You're insane. You can't go against these people. You're nothing. You're a speck of mud to these people, yet you want to go against the most powerful intelligence gathering agency in the world. It's impossible, give it up.' But like the Vietcong, who went against the United States of America with the most powerful army in the world, they beat them at their own game. How did they do it? They did it through guerrilla warfare. And that's essentially what our heroes resort to. By framing these guys and leading them into a trap and getting the better of them."

Thomas Brian Reynolds, the rogue NSA agent in charge of the operation is a complex character and not simply a clear-cut bad guy. "We tried to make him more three-dimensional," says Bruckheimer who takes great care to ensure the characters in his films are well rounded fully developed portraits. "We modeled him on Robert McNamara and Oliver North. We gave all these videotapes of these guys to Jon to study - Jon is incredibly serious about the work and about building his performance with all the background he can get his hands on. He's very methodical in his approach. Invariably bad guys are two-dimensional, but Jon was a big proponent of expanding the character and he really hooked into McNamara, down to the hair cut and glasses." "Reynolds is more of a `State Department' type of guy," contends Voight. "And in this particular situation, he's a person without guidance. He doesn't have anyone he's responsible to, so he's able to do whatever he wants. "Usually there are checks and balances in these organizations, but every once a while there's an air pocket and somebody gets into a position where they're not held responsible to anyone and they can do some pretty unsavory things," he says. "That's the case with Reynolds. He has an agenda and he follows through on it and becomes dangerous. He can use any of the manpower and equipment at his disposal if he's clever, and he is." Bruckheimer and Scott also relied heavily on technical advisor Larry Cox, a former NSA official, in developing the Reynolds character. "Larry told us there was someone he had in mind who was on loan to the NSA from another government agency," says Bruckheimer. "This guy had been with the NSA for two years but ended up getting fired from the NSA because he was an opportunist." "For our purposes, this man was the back story," says Scott. "He was on a loan out from, as I call it, the Ministry of Defense [State Department], and then he saw an opportunity to actually move up. He's of an age where he should have been the head of one of these agencies and we backed that into the character. We even had Reynolds' wife make reference to this point in the story." The filmmakers did not limit their information base to the NSA and took direction from ancillary government sources as well. "We spoke often with Don Ferrarone," explains executive producer Chad Oman. "Don is a former `Special Agent in Charge' for the DEA as well as a U.S. Marshal. He's managed offices in Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Burma. He provided us with invaluable technical and creative input; he helped us create a new third act by applying his real life experiences from actual operations."

Scott and Bruckheimer wanted to be careful not to paint the NSA as an evil, Big Brother organization. As in all Bruckheimer films, verisimilitude is of the utmost importance, so they decided to create a rogue element within the organization. When the production first approached the NSA for assistance with the project, they were denied access. "For many years the government denied the existence of the NSA," explains Bruckheimer. "But I think there's a new openness now and they feel it's better to work with Hollywood. Through a connection of David Marconi's we were able to meet the number two guy there a week before he retired even though they weren't directly involved with the movie." Bruckheimer, Scott, executive producers James W. Skotchdopole and Andrew Z. Davis, and production designer Benjamin Fernandez were invited to tour the facility by deputy director William Crowell (whose daughter, Laura Cayouette, appears in the film) but were not allowed to speak with any of the agency's employees. "It was a sanitized tour," recalls Davis. "We were very protected and couldn't wander off the path. Individual offices were empty of personnel. But when we went to the CIA, they weren't as secretive. They actually have a public affairs department that deals with the media."

Chase Brandon, director of the CIA's public affairs office arranged several tours of Langley for the film's principals, including an especially memorable visit for Will Smith and Chad Oman. "It was incredible," recalls the executive producer. "No one was supposed to know we were coming; Will didn't want any fuss. But when they opened the doors, the halls were lined with secretaries and other personnel holding Will's picture, waiting for the chance to get an autograph. We were accompanied by his fans on the entire four hour tour and by the time we left, Will's pants were torn, but he was none the worse for wear," he laughs. "Will was such a good sport." Scott was notably surprised by the age of the people he was able to see at work in both agencies. "I was flabbergasted how young the kids were," he says. "90 percent of the CIA looks like UCLA campus - all these kids in bell bottoms and T-shirts. Other than heads of departments (senior agents who are 35, 40,) they all literally could have been students. You could have interchanged them with kids in the commissary at UCLA. "Today kids are born and bred on laptop computers," the director notes. "I wanted to change the audience's perception of what the agency world is about. It's not about guys who are bald and 50 carrying guns, as the media always portrays them, it's about young people who are on the cutting edge of technology. Our kids: Loren Dean [Hicks], Barry Pepper [Pratt], Ian Hart [Bingham], Jack Black [Fiedler] - I swear you could drop them into the CIA or the NSA, and you couldn't pick them out."

Reynolds takes into his confidence a group of six operatives including two ex-marines he employs as muscle men to take care of the particularly dirty work. "Jake Busey and Scott Caan were modeled on two kids who came in to my office to audition," says Scott. "They were ex-marines who were thrown out of the corps for beating a master sergeant within an inch of his life and had spent 18 months in the brig together. They wanted to be in the movie. We had to pass on them, but I role modeled Krug and Jones on them."

Actress Regina King plays Robert Clayton Dean's wife, Carla. At Smith's urging Scott and Bruckheimer considered King for the role. Scott wanted someone who was a complete contrast to Smith's easy going nature. "I think married couples always work better as a contrast," he says. "I couldn't see Regina at first and then something clicked and I thought, `Got it!' Will, of course, saw that she was a great actress. I had to see the idea of who she was in terms of their relationship. Once I determined that she wore the pants in the house, I knew Regina was it." "Carla is a strong woman who speaks her mind," says King. "She's very straightforward. She's also a lawyer, but she's an activist, she probably works for the ACLU. She knows about the NSA and has a definite opinion on surveillance and privacy issues. She knows the power they have and she wants to make a move to prevent abuses of that power from happening, but she has no idea it's directly affecting her life." Like the Smith-King combination, Scott also had to pair Robert Clayton Dean with his associate and long time confidante, Rachel Banks. Lisa Bonet's performance in "Angel Heart" several years ago had left a distinct impression on the director and he knew immediately he wanted her for the role. "Again, you always look for pairings," says Scott. "I also thought in terms of Regina versus Lisa. There's such difference - they're at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of who they are and guys either have affairs with someone who looks exactly like their wife or the total opposite. I thought the total opposite was the way to go with Will."

It took the filmmakers quite a while to cast the role of Pintero, a mobster Robert Clayton Dean threatens to expose to the Feds in one of the film's opening scenes. Tom Sizemore who had worked with Scott previously on "True Romance" won the part. "It was a difficult role to cast," says Bruckheimer. "It's difficult to get away from the stereotype and this character had to have a sense of humor, a sense of the absurd. We struggled to get it just right." "Tom put on all this weight to play John Gotti," says Scott. "He really looked like a gangster. He was beginning to take it off when I saw him and I thought that we had to use him before he lost it all. You could see him as someone who was really dangerous, volatile, a little off. I know he convinced the crew, you could see it on their faces when we were shooting."

* * *

With little to no public records or information about the NSA, the filmmakers relied on James Bamford's book, The Puzzle Palace, published in 1983. They also depended heavily on information gathered by two writers from The Baltimore Sun newspaper who wrote a series of articles in 1995 about the highly secretive agency. But because most of the current information about the NSA is classified, Marconi, Bruckheimer and Scott looked to their technical advisors to set the record straight. All of the technology and scenarios depicted in the film are real, albeit a bit archaic compared to methods and equipment used today. Again, it's classified. According to Scott Shane and Tom Bowman's six- part series in The Baltimore Sun, the National Security Agency is "virtually invisible to the American public. [It] runs the most ambitious spying operation, eclipsing the Central Intelligence Agency in budget and personnel. It's operations cost nearly $1 million an hour, $8 billion a year. Its Maryland work force of 20,000 makes the NSA the state's largest employer, and it oversees tens of thousands of eavesdroppers in listening posts from Alaska to Thailand."

They go on to report that "The National Security Agency's job is to protect U.S. government communications from eavesdroppers and to eavesdrop on foreign countries. In spy jargon such eavesdropping is called signals intelligence, or SIGINT. It includes the interception of voice or text messages sent by phone, fax, computer or other means, as well as such nonverbal transmissions as radar and electronic signals from missiles." In touring various agencies, executive producer James W. Skotchdopole was particularly impressed after learning about the federal government's ability to ferret out criminals via financial records. "FINCEN, which tracks all the financial activity around the world, can be used to trace people's bank accounts, their deposits and withdrawals -- they can pull up your account profile in moments and it's far more detailed than a TRW. They told me about a particular case involving drug traffickers, but they had no incriminating evidence. With FINCEN they were able to match deposits and withdrawals of the same amount from another suspect's account to create a financial link. That connection focused the investigation, which led to a conviction. This technological capability enabled one agent to crack a case in 45 minutes which several agents had been working on for 9 months. That is truly amazing!"

"What as consumers we see available on the market, like voice recognition programs for our computers, the NSA was running about 20 years ago," says Marconi. "In The Puzzle Palace, they talk about sweeping phone lines and looking for trigger words, and that book was written in the early `80s, that's almost 20 years ago! So you can imagine, especially with computers, how far technology has progressed even beyond that.

"Some of the satellite technology that appears in the film was stuff that we had to extrapolate on and take to the next step and make imaginative leaps as to what our capabilities would be because obviously no information about what we actually have in operation can be published. Anyone who works at the NRO [National Reconnaissance Organization] or the NSA is forbidden by federal law to talk about any of that stuff. Even our advisors on the picture couldn't really talk about anything that is classified or what our current capabilities might be. They could only nod or shake their heads, but they couldn't really offer any definitive answers to pointed questions." Hence, the insiders' colloquialism for the agency: Never Say Anything. According to Scott, surveillance advisor Martin Kaiser "is the James Bond of the last ten years. He ranks in the top 10. Marty was caught by the FBI spying on the CIA - they got him to plant bugs. He is the real thing. What fascinated me when I met him was that he looked like a plumber. And sitting in Marty's bungalow, it's just wall to wall with bits of technology. From top to bottom, it's cluttered with gear-tools, gadgets, semi conductors, manuals- everything and anything. He's got the IRA on one line and he's calling the SAS on the other line. He devises bomb detectors and other pieces of equipment for both, it's fascinating." Marty went through the script and made a million notes on how to make it more interesting in terms of the electronics. There is no doubt about it, Marty's technical expertise and input was crutial to the success of this film. He helped refine every draft, again and again, until he had a shooting script. It's very dynamic, especially considering that it's written by someone who doesn't do surveillance for a living.

Kaiser, who has worked in intelligence and counter intelligence since the late 1960s was initially unsure of his involvement in the project. "When I first read the script I felt what Dean was going through in terms of the NSA shadowing his every move and looking into every aspect of his life was very similar to what I experienced during my battle with the FBI," says Kaiser who went through a heated and much publicized controversy with the agency. "It was a little too close to home to suit me. But then it dawned on me that the very thing I had been fighting for 20 years - the protection of the Bill of Rights - was what this movie was about. I thought working on this film would be an excellent opportunity to get the point across."

A long time associate of the CIA, FBI and private industry, Kaiser fell into the intelligence business purely by accident. "I was on my way to a little brewery in downtown Baltimore and got lost when I saw a sign that read `US Army Intelligence, Fort Holabird, Maryland,'" recalls Kaiser. "I thought, `They must have something in there that's broken that I can fix. Sure enough they had a box full of equipment they were using for intelligence purposes. At that time there was no real surveillance equipment in existence. I asked them if I could manufacture exactly what they needed and that's when the game started. Word spread to other agencies and it just developed from there." The expert makes it clear that a legal wiretap requires a court order and that, according to his figures, in 1996, a total of approximately 1,000 wire taps were approved at the federal, state and local levels of government. Consider that many of these devices are manufactured in bulk, 20,000 to 50,000 units at a time, by Pacific Rim countries, for sale elsewhere in the world where possession and use of surveillance equipment is not as highly regulated..

Kaiser also points out that with advanced intelligence gathering techniques also comes improved capabilities in the dissemination of misinformation. Will audiences think this is all too farfetched? Scott and Bruckheimer don't think so. "Audiences today are very sophisticated," says Bruckheimer. "We went to a great deal of trouble to make sure our facts were right and the audience will see that on the screen. We're giving them an inside look into a world they've never seen before. I don't make films to necessarily send a message, but I think this will make people think twice." "I want audiences to leave the theater and say, `Oh my God, they're up there, they're out there,'" says Scott. "They can actually do what we've said they can do, and more. I want them to question `How real was that movie?' I want that question in their minds. Yeah. But it's still a piece of entertainment."


ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Principal photography commenced in Baltimore, Maryland. Location shooting began on a ferry in Fells Point and continued in locations throughout the city and in Washington D.C. In mid-January, the company moved to Los Angeles to complete production in April 1998. Unlike his approach to many of his films, Scott did not begin the project with a special look in mind. "I wasn't familiar with the East Coast," he explains. "I didn't really know D.C., I didn't know Baltimore and I never shot winter over there and we scouted in summer when it was very hot and humid, so I was a little bit lost. I stumbled into it in a way. We kept looking at movies like `Seven,' which was a great looking movie, the most interesting looking movie in the last few years. But I wanted to go for harder, tougher, colder. It was winter, but we were lucky and got beautiful weather." The filmmakers decided to use multi media in creating the look of the film and shot many of the scenes with digital cameras as well as with many of the same miniature cameras built for use by the surveillance community. "We actually shot some of the scenes using button hole cameras," says Bruckheimer. "We mounted it on the camera operator and he'd move around the room in place of one of the actors playing an NSA agent." They also relied heavily on television cameras, monitors and still photographs to tell their story. "We tried to get away from the digital world and give it a new look," says Scott. "It's the total opposite of what they did in `Contact'; it's much cruder with glitches in the footage to make it look more interesting. We used all the flashes and the kick and the speed changes. We used monitors that weren't functioning 100 percent." The filmmakers also used still photographs, purchasing some of the satellite shots from a private company that monitors the earth 24 hours a day from the North Pole to the South. They have the ability to pull up photos of any location in the world at any given hour. At this point in time, only still photos are available within a 20-block radius, outside of that, moving images can also be purchased. The NSA agents in the film, to initially analyze who Dean is and begin to track him, use this method of data recovery.

Although the NSA did not give the filmmakers access to its resources or property, the company was able to shoot an aerial establishing shot from public air space well above the grounds of Fort Meade. For the interior of the NSA, production designer Benjamin Fernandez recreated a control room on a stage that was constructed using verbal information from several people who used to work at the agency. "It was really taking a little bit of information from Marty and Larry," says Scott. "They're a pretty closed shop in terms of what information they feel is confidential, even in terms of the look of a room. We also used the Baltimore Sun articles. That was really our best form of information in terms of how the place looked to these guys. What we recreated came off a description from 2 or 3 people who all corroborated the description. "It felt like the stock market when everyone described it," he continues. "With the guy standing in the center. That used to be Larry Cox's job for 11 years and he's what they call a collection manager. He's the guy who sat in the center and pulled in the information from all the different bays around him. There's a whole building dedicated to this and each floor has the number of employees we had in that scene." Although "Enemy of the State" is more a thriller than an action film, the company filmed an involved chase sequence through Consolidated Coal's coal yards on the east side of Baltimore. Bruckheimer and Scott knew they had to create an action sequence that was believable but exciting. "There were no real action sequences in the original script," says Scott. "So the ideas came when we started scouting. Jerry never worries about the action stuff with me because he knows somehow I'll get it down. The scene's a really great mix in terms of the rest of the movie. We staged it so that it becomes this chase where Gene and Will can get away from the NSA guys only because a train comes through and cuts them off, but not before they're almost run down. "I saw this coal yard, I saw this railroad track going around it and I said, `Ah, there's an idea,'" says Scott. "So you build it in that way. It was just an interesting idea that came from an interesting location."

The story takes place over several days during the Christmas/New Year holiday. No matter the scene or the location, the art department trimmed the venue with ornaments of the season. The company was forced to close down streets not only to shoot, but simply to decorate. In contrast to the homey decorations, Scott says he tried "to utilize a harder, edgier light," even harder than he used on "Crimson Tide." "I went much more contrasty and used less back light and more side light," the director notes. "But I felt that was the nature of the piece and the look for the story." Two particularly daunting locations in which the company shot included a downtown access tunnel and the original Dr. Pepper plant which had long ago been abandoned.

"I loved the tunnel sequence," Scott says. "Jerry kept saying `There's no way that's going to work!' He couldn't get past how we were going to get cars down there. And in the end, you always can." The transportation, grip and art departments teamed up to execute the task of cutting into pieces several cars, lowering them down a manhole and rebuilding them twenty feet underground in a subterranean access tunnel (which houses an enormous exhaust system) just beneath the Ft. McHenry Tunnel, a major thoroughfare in the heart of the city. "These were vehicles that had to function," says Bruckheimer. "We had to complete part of a weighty chase scene and I just couldn't imagine how we were going to do it. No one but Tony would have come up with this," he laughs. "It's just another element to entertain. It's great when people look at the screen and wonder `How'd they do that?' It's just a little worrisome when the producer is asking that question too." "We had to justify story-wise to the general public how the heck you can get cars down an A.C. unit, which is how Will gets down there," notes Scott. "But I always like transporting the public, even in a very realistic movie, into odd places." Scott credits his surveillance advisors with coming up with Smith's attire (robe and boxer shorts) for this wild chase sequence. "You can plant a bug on a person - a favorite place is in the cuff of a pant so that you can run the antenna up the seam of the pant leg. The antenna helps for maximum efficiency in terms of the signal. This little bug which is as thin as a dime, they tape into the pant leg - you could even plant it in the seam of a pair of jockey shorts. In the end it's meant to be a little far fetched as an isolated incident, but when you see it in the overall context of the movie, Dean's paranoia starts to make sense."

To demolish or not to demolish, that was the question. It was a big question for the filmmakers whether or not to destroy a cultural icon. The original Dr. Pepper plant, a small, concrete building in an industrial area of town with warehouses and truck stops surrounding it, just off a major freeway was used as Brill's lair. A hideaway he built himself covered with copper mesh to keep out any snooping eyes or ears; Brill calls his undetectable home The Jar. "The thought of blowing up a building is always fun," says Bruckheimer. "Who wouldn't want to try? But we were wary about setting a particular mood and not subverting our own efforts. We strove to create a frightening situation in a plausible world and we didn't want to lessen the impact with a sequence that might be over the top." "I was a little bit worried about slam, bang and gun shots," agrees Scott. "We were pushing for the drama to arise out of conversation and then again, when the process begins, it fills up like a canvas with paint and starts to take shape. I felt that the nature of Brill was such that he was outrageous or crazy enough not to want to leave anything behind, he was that obsessive. So blowing up the building seemed to fit into who Gene's character was. We don't make a big thing of it; we don't do `Lethal Weapon' where the building drops forever. But it does punctuate his personality." Assisted by renowned demolition experts, the Loizeaux family and their company, Control Demolition Inc., the Dr. Pepper building came down in a flourish with 13 cameras capturing every conceivable angle. Washington, D.C. locations used included sites at Dupont Circle, Georgetown and the Adams Morgan district, as well as the steps of the Treasury Building. The company moved to Los Angeles to continue filming in early January, utilizing locations downtown as well as such treasured landmarks as Chasen's and Canter's restaurants, the Pasadena Red Cross and several stages at Sony Studios.

ABOUT THE CAST

WILL SMITH portrays young, hotshot lawyer Robert Clayton Dean who unwittingly becomes embroiled in a cover-up of the murder of a congressman by government agents. Smith has starred in two of the ten all-time top-grossing films worldwide; last summer's "Men in Black," for which he also recorded the Grammy-winning title song, and 1996's "Independence Day." Prior to "Independence Day," Smith starred in Jerry Bruckheimer's "Bad Boys," one of the largest grossing films of 1995. His box-office power was recognized by NATO/ShoWest when he was recognized as the Male Star of Tomorrow in 1995 and, just two years later, with their International Box Office Achievement Award. His feature film work also includes his critically acclaimed performance in the Oscarr- nominated "Six Degrees of Separation," as well as "Made in America" and "Where the Day Takes You." He is currently in production as the title character in the motion picture adaptation of the `60s television series "Wild Wild West." Smith began his career in the music industry. He made his first record as a high school senior, and in lieu of college, embarked on a rap career with friend Jeff Townes. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince recorded several platinum and multi-platinum albums and won two Grammys and three American Music Awards. Smith recently released his first solo album, Big Willie Style, his best selling album to date.

Smith made his transition into television as the star of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," a sitcom created for Smith by Quincy Jones. The hit NBC series wrapped its sixth and final season in 1996. Smith and partner James Lassiter recently formed Overbrook Entertainment, a production company with a first look motion picture and television deal at Universal Pictures. Overbrook also has a record label whose product will be distributed by Interscope.

Academy Awardr winner GENE HACKMAN is Brill, an ex-NSA agent who's seen it all and done it all in the game of espionage. Armed with that knowledge, he's gone underground to live. He is Dean's only hope of survival. Hackman, with dozens of acclaimed performances in hit films, has earned a reputation as one of the most versatile and sought-after actors of his generation. He last worked for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott on the critically acclaimed film, "Crimson Tide," co-starring Denzel Washington. He has won two Academy Awardsr, the first for Best Actor for his role as Popeye Doyle in "The French Connection" and the second for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a vicious sheriff in Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven." He also garnered nominations for his performances in "Mississippi Burning" (Best Actor) and "I Never Sang For My Father" and "Bonnie and Clyde" (Best Supporting Actor). His list of awards also includes British Oscars, two Golden Globes, and the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Trophy, two National Association of Theatre Owner Awards, and a comprehensive collection of awards from leading critics groups. He has received retrospective tributes from such entities as the British Film Institute, the San Francisco Film Festival and the American Film Institute. His latest projects include "Absolute Power," "Extreme Measures," "The Chamber" and "Get Shorty." Also among his films are "The Quick and the Dead," "The Firm," "Class Action," "Geronimo," "Wyatt Earp," "Under Fire," "Hoosiers," "Another Woman," "The Package," "Postcards From the Edge," "Uncommon Valor," "The Narrow Margin," "No Way Out," "BAT 21," "Twice in a Lifetime," "Reds," "All Night Long," "Downhill Racer," "Under Fire," "The Poseidon Adventure," "Young Frankenstein," "The Conversation" and "Scarecrow." He also starred as Lex Luthor in the first of the "Superman" films as well as in the second and fourth installments. Hackman was born in Riverside, California and brought up in Danville, Illinois where his father was a newspaper printer. He joined the Marines at 16 and became a radio operator. After his discharge from the service, Hackman moved from radio to television and worked at various small town television stations. He eventually returned to the west coast and enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse. There, Hackman made his stage debut with Zazu Pitts in "The Curious Miss Caraway." After a period of summer stock, he moved to New York. He studied with George Morrison and began getting small parts on television and in stage productions. He won the Clarence Derwent Award for his performance in Irwin Shaw's "Children at Their Games" and won his first starring role on Broadway opposite Sandy Dennis in the hit comedy "Any Wednesday." Other stage successes followed and at one point, Hackman even had his own production company, Chelly Ltd. He made his screen debut in the 1964 film "Lilith" with Warren Beatty and followed this first picture with "Hawaii," "The Gypsy Moths," "Downhill Racer" and "Marooned." When he's not working, Hackman paints, flies his plane and races automobiles. He is also an avid film collector.

Academy Awardr winner JON VOIGHT is Thomas Brian Reynolds, a National Security Agency official who sees his role as the ultimate guardian of the United States of America. When the stakes are high, he believes he must bend the rules to protect her secrets, and sometimes that includes murder. Voight was born and raised in Yonkers, New York. He began his acting career there, at Archbishop Stephanic High School, and in Washington, D.C. at Catholic University where he received a B.F.A. in scenic design and art. From there he moved to New York City and studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse under the tutelage of legendary teacher Sandy Meisner. In 1961, at 22, Voight made his debut in "O, Oysters," an off-Broadway musical revue. Later that same year, he made his Broadway debut replacing Brian Davies as Rolf Grubber in the long- running Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, "The Sound of Music." In 1965 he appeared opposite Robert Duvall in the acclaimed revival of Arthur Miller's powerful drama, "A View from the Bridge" which ran for 780 performances at the Sheridan Square Playhouse. The following year Voight starred on Broadway opposite Irene Papas and Tyne Daly in "That Summer?That Fall." His performance earned him a Theatre World Award as one of the season's promising personalities. Voight then traveled to San Diego where he spent the summer at the Old Globe Theatre portraying Romeo and Ariel in "The Tempest." In California, he turned his attention to film. He landed parts in episodes of such popular television series as "Cimarron Strip," "Gunsmoke" and a featured role in "Hour of the Gun" as well as the lead in producers Edward Pressman and Paul Williams' film "Out of It." The turning point in his career came when he earned his first Academy Awardr nomination, the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Awards as well as the British Academy Award for his performance in John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy."

There followed a succession of memorable films including "Catch-22," "The Revolutionary," "Deliverance," "The All American Boy," "Conrack," "The Odessa File" and "End of the Game." During this period, Voight continued to work on stage. He starred in "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles and at the Studio Arena in Buffalo, New York. He also portrayed Hamlet in several separate productions. Originally cast as Jane Fonda's soldier husband in "Coming Home," Voight persuaded Fonda and director Hal Ashby to allow him to portray the embittered paraplegic Luke Martin instead. His performance earned him the Academy Awardr for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award, the Cannes International Film Festival Awardr and both the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Awards. Next he starred in "The Champ" with Faye Dunaway and 8-year-old Ricky Schroder, "Lookin' to Get Out," which he produced and co-wrote, and "Table For Five" which he also produced. His work in "Runaway Train" (which brought him his third Academy Awardr nomination as well as a London Film Critics Award nomination) was followed by "Desert in Bloom." On television he starred in the movies "Chernobyl: The Final Warning" and "The Last of His Tribe" (for which he earned a CableACE Award) and the miniseries "Return to Lonesome Dove." Among his recent television work is the Showtime drama "Convict Cowboy" and "The Tin Soldier" in which he made his directorial debut. "The Tin Soldier" won several awards including Best Children's Film at the Berlin Film Festival. Recently he has starred in Frances Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker," "U-Turn" from Oliver Stone, "Most Wanted" written by and co-starring Keenan Ivory Wayans, "Anaconda," "Rosewood" directed by John Singleton, Michael Mann's "Heat" and "Mission: Impossible" starring Tom Cruise. He will next be seen in "Varsity Blues," John Boorman's "The General" and the movie-of-the-week "Noah's Arc," for NBC.

REGINA KING is Robert Clayton Dean's loving, intelligent, and often opinionated lawyer-wife, Carla. A versatile actress whose wide range of characters combines warmth and uncompromising strength, King always leaves audiences with a powerful impression. Currently she is starring opposite Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," adapted from the best- selling novel by Terry McMillan. Due out in December is Walt Disney Pictures' live-action remake of the 1940 RKO classic, "Mighty Joe Young," in which King stars as a veterinarian opposite Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton. King received rave reviews as Marcee Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's Academy Awardr nominated film, "Jerry Maguire." She gained notice from critics and audiences alike as the fiercely protective wife of a charismatic football player Cuba Gooding, Jr. fighting for respect and a new contract from his team. Her other feature films include John Singleton's "Boyz N the Hood," "Higher Learning" and "Poetic Justice," as well as the Martin Lawrence comedy "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate." King initially made a name for herself on television as Marla Gibbs' perennially petulant daughter in the popular comedy, "227." She spent three years on the series before making her film debut in "Boyz N the Hood." Other television credits include guest appearances on "New York Undercover," "Living Single" and "Northern Exposure."

LOREN DEAN is NSA director Reynolds' right hand man, Agent Hicks. He will soon be seen in the title role of "Mumford" for director Lawrence Kasdan, opposite Mary McDonnell, Ted Danson and Jason Lee and in the black comedy "Dust and Stardust" with Jamie Kennedy. Dean made his feature film debut in Martha Coolidge's "Plain Clothes" and went on to break many hearts in Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything." Among his feature films are "Gattica" opposite Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, "End of Violence" with Andie MacDowell, Bill Pullman and Gabriel Byrne, John Singleton's "Rosewood" starring Ving Rhames, Ron Howard's "Apollo 13," "Mrs. Winterbourne" for director Richard Benjamin, "How to Make An American Quilt" with Winona Ryder, Ridley Scott's "1492" and the title role in Robert Benton's "Billy Bathgate" opposite Bruce Willis. On stage, Dean made his New York debut at the age of 19 in the Circle Repertory's production of "Amulets Against the Dragon Forces," winning himself a Theatre World Award. At the Manhattan Theatre Club, he originated roles in two of John Patrick Shanley's plays?"Beggars in the House of Plenty" and "Four Dogs and a Bone," both directed by the playwright. Besides acting, Dean is an accomplished pianist who has written and performed music since the age of 8.

JAKE BUSEY is Krug, an ex-marine who's spent time in a federal penitentiary and has no real allegiance except to the highest bidder. He's the perfect thug for Reynolds' dirty work. Busey was only five years old when he appeared in his first film, "Straight Time" opposite his father Gary Busey, however, it wasn't until his teens that he decided to make acting his career. Recently he co-starred in Paul Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers," "Home Fries," opposite Drew Barrymore, "Contact" with Jodie Foster and "SWF" directed by Jeffrey Levy. He had a cameo appearance in "Twister" starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton and received critical acclaim for his performance as the Grim Reaper in "The Frighteners" and for his role in the remake of the 1950s "Motorcycle Gang" for director John Milius and Showtime. The movie received three CableACE Awards. Over the past few years, Busey has played diverse characters in a variety of films. He was a driver in "I'll Do Anything," a college student in "The Stoned Age" and a drummer in the short film "The Footshooting Party." He has also appeared on television in "Tales from the Crypt" and the ABC miniseries "Cruel Doubt" as well as "Shimmer" for American Playhouse.

BARRY PEPPER is Agent David Pratt trained by the FBI, on loan to Thomas Reynolds and the NSA due to his expertise in weapons and espionage. Pepper was most recently seen co-starring with Tom Hanks and Matt Damon in Steven Spielberg's epic film "Saving Private Ryan." Pepper portrayed Private Jackson, the young, highly skilled sniper among the group of men sent on a mission to save a fellow soldier. Currently Pepper is in production on the Castle Rock feature "The Green Mile." Directed and written by Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Pepper co-stars with Tom Hanks as Dean Stanton, one of a group of prison guards whose lives are changed when they befriend an inmate who might possess special powers. His other film credits include "Firestorm" with Scott Glenn and William Forsyth, and the independent feature "Urban Safari" which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. A native of Canada, Pepper grew up in a most unconventional style. At the age of 5, his family launched a 50-foot sailboat they had built themselves to sail throughout the South Pacific. The boat would become their home for the next five years. Pepper was educated by his parents via correspondence courses and whenever possible, was enrolled in public schools in locations like Raratonga and New Zealand. With no television and nowhere to go when at sea for weeks at a time, he and his brothers depended on active imaginations and were always acting out different skits. When the family returned to Canada, they built a farm on a small island off the west coast. After two years in college studying marketing and graphic design, Pepper discovered his true passion by getting involved in a Vancouver Actors Studio. He quickly began securing roles in such television movies as "Killer Among Friends" with Patty Duke and "Johnny's Girl" starring Treat Williams, as well as the miniseries "Titanic" with George C. Scott, Tim Curry and Peter Gallagher. In Canada, he is best known for his work on the award- winning series, "Madison."

Up and coming actor JASON LEE plays Daniel Zavitz, a nature photographer who's stumbled onto inflammatory information in the mysterious death of a U.S. congressman. When he accidentally bumps into his old friend Robert Clayton Dean, he slips him the damning evidence and embroils Dean in a run for his life. Lee recently created a stir in the media with the independent film "Chasing Amy" written and directed by Kevin Smith who also helmed "Mallrats" in which Lee made his motion picture debut. He will soon be seen in several other independent films including "American Cuisine" and "Drawing Flies." Most recently Lee completed filming "Mumford," directed by Lawrence Kasdan, and Kevin Smith's latest film, "Dogma," opposite Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Chris Rock.

GABRIEL BYRNE makes an appearance as a NSA agent who attempts to throw Robert Clayton Dean off track and get him to hand over the incriminating videotape. Byrne is not only a gifted and highly acclaimed actor but, an Academy Awardr-nominated producer, as well. He executive produced the film "In the Name of the Father" that earned several Oscarr nominations, including Best Picture, and also produced and starred in "Into the West" opposite Ellen Barkin. Beginning his acting career with the Abbey Theater and later joining the Royal Court Theater in London, the Dublin born actor made his feature film debut in John Boorman's "Excalibur." Other European films include the acclaimed "Defense of the Realm" and "Hannah K." During this time he worked for several noteworthy European directors including Costa-Gavras, Ken Russell and Ken Loach. In 1990 he made his American debut in the Coen brothers' "Miller's Crossing." In 1995, he starred as Dean Keaton in "The Usual Suspects" which was nominated for two Academy Awardsr. Early last year, Byrne starred in "Smilla's Sense of Snow" with Julia Ormond and on the small screen in the HBO film "Weapons of Mass Distraction," with Ben Kingsley. He was then seen in Wim Wenders' "End of Violence" and "Polish Wedding" with Lena Olin and Claire Danes. Most recently he played D'Artagnan in "The Man in the Iron Mask" opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and G‚rard Depardieu. He just completed a starring role in MGM/UA's "Stigmata" starring opposite Patricia Arquette. Lately, Gabriel has been dividing his time between writing, producing and acting. His first book, Pictures In My Head was published in Ireland last year where it became a critically acclaimed bestseller. Pictures In My Head was also published in the U.S. late last year. Gabriel, who is a member of the Irish film board, is currently working through his production company, Plurabelle Films, where he is executive producing the film "Mad About Mambo" that takes place in Ireland. Gabriel is in development on a number of other projects to produce through his production company and Phoenix Pictures where he has a first look deal.

LISA BONET returns to the screen as Rachel Banks, Robert Clayton Dean's colleague and confidante. Bonet made her feature film debut in the challenging role of Epiphany Proudfoot in Alan Parker's controversial, "Angel Heart" opposite Robert De Niro and Mickey Rourke. Best known for her role as Denise Huxtable on the long-running NBC comedies, "The Cosby Show" and its spin-off, "A Different World," she also starred with Michael Madsen in Propaganda's "Lights Out," and with Patrick Dempsey in the dark comedy "Bank Robber." She also appeared in an ABC After School Special, "Don't Touch" and on the hit series "St. Elsewhere." Born in San Francisco, Bonet first began acting in commercials when she landed her role on "The Cosby Show" during high school. Today, Bonet is the mother of a 9-year-old daughter and devotes much of her time to numerous charitable causes.

JACK BLACK (Fiedler) has appeared in a wide variety of motion pictures and television programs. Among his feature film credits are "The Jackal," "Mars Attacks!," "The Fan," "The Cable Guy," "Dead Man Walking," and "Bob Roberts." Black recently completed roles in "The Cradle Will Rock" directed by Tim Robbins and "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer." Black is also the producer/star/writer of a new series on HBO featuring his band, "Tenacious D" and has appeared in the popular series "Mr. Show."

As Jamie, JAMIE KENNEDY is a computer whiz kid for the NSA. An actor with a uniquely offbeat view and sensibility, Kennedy gained attention after co- starring in West Craven's hit, "Scream" for which he won a Blockbuster Award as Best Supporting Actor- Horror. In "Scream 2" he was reunited with Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette. Kennedy also appeared in William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet," with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes and had a cameo in "As Good As It Gets" with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt for director James L. Brooks. He captured the lead role in "Dust and Stardust," an independent comedy which premiered at the Los Angeles International Film Festival and also stars in several other independents set for release in the near future: "Stricken," directed by Paul Chilsen; "Sparkler," co-starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., Grace Zabriskie and Park Overall; and the surprise hit of the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, "Clockwatchers," co-starring Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow. Kennedy also completed a cameo appearance in the independent film, "Bongwater." Television audiences will remember his hilarious recurring role as Tad in the ABC series "Ellen." Currently he is co-starring in "Bowfingers' Big Thing" written by and starring Steve Martin. The film, directed by Frank Oz, also stars Eddie Murphy.

Touchstone Pictures' "Enemy of the State" marks SCOTT CAAN's entry into the world of major motion pictures. As Jones, he plays a marine gone bad, but his expertise as part of an elite killing team makes him indispensable to NSA director Reynolds. He has appeared in numerous independent features including Richard Sears' "Bongwater," which premiered at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, and "Nowhere To Go" which debuted at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. Among his other credits are Gregg Araki's "Nowhere," "Lunchtime Special" and "Aron Galespic Will Make You A Star." Caan recently wrapped production on Paramount Pictures' "Varsity Blues."

JAMES LE GROS plays Jerry Miller, Robert Dean's best friend and an associate at his law firm. Since making his mark in Gus Van Sant's groundbreaking "Drugstore Cowboy," LeGros has built a consistently interesting and acclaimed career in film. Dubbed "the king of the independents" by G.Q. Magazine, LeGros has cultivated a strong following with the media as well as with fans worldwide. Vincent Canby of The New York Times writes that LeGros "has gravity and reserve that are rare in such a young actor," and Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times calls him "one of the best young actors." His credits include "The Low Life," "Boys," "Living in Oblivion," "Gun Crazy," "Floundering," "Destiny Turns on the Radio," "Safe," "Bad Girls," "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle," "Where The Day Takes You," "Singles," "The Rapture," "Point Break," "Born on the Fourth of July," "Fatal Beauty," "Solar Babies," "Near Dark," "Phantasm II," and "*batteries not included." On television he has costarred in the ShowTime movie, "Pronto." A veteran on the regional theatre circuit, LeGros has also appeared in numerous productions including "Slab Boys," "Becoming Memories," "Boy Meets Girl," "American Buffalo," "Curse of the Starving Class," "Table Settings," "The Cherry Orchard" and "Scapino." He continues to alternate between stage and screen when his hectic film schedule allows. Born and raised in Minnesota, LeGros is married to actress Kristina Loggia.

British actor IAN HART is NSA Agent Bingham. Hart is best known for his role as a young John Lennon in "Backbeat," for which he won the award as Most Promising Newcomer at the British Film Awards in 1995. He continued to work in British cinema, working on such films as "B Monkey," "The Butcher Boy," "Michael Collins," "Clockwork Mice," "Loved Up," "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain," "The Hollow Reed," "All Our Fault" (for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival), "Land and Freedom" (winner of the Felix European Film of the Year), "The Hours and Times," "No Surrender" and "Frogs for Snakes" directed by Amos Powell. He recently starred in "Noose" for director Ted Demme. His acting career began as a student in Liverpool when he accompanied friends to an audition for a laugh. But when the instructor responded with a challenge, he tried his hand on stage and was immediately cast in the play, "The Government Inspector." Two years later he landed a role on British television in "One Summer." His other television appearances include "The Exercise," "The Monocled Mutineer," "The Marksman," "A View of Harry Clarke" and "The Chain" for the BBC, and "The Brothers McGregor" and "The Traveling Man" for Granada TV. His work on stage includes "My Beautiful Launderette," "Woyzeck," "The Holiday," "Breezeblock Park," "Pinocchio Boys" and "Dog Day Afternoon."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

British director TONY SCOTT has had a consistent string of successes in films and commercials, and shows no signs of slowing down. Born in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, Scott attended the Sunderland Art School where he received a fine arts degree in painting. While completing a yearlong postgraduate study at Leeds College, he developed an interest in cinematography and made "One of the Missing," a half-hour film financed by the British Film Institute and based on an Ambrose Bierce short story. He then went on to earn his master of fine arts degree at the Royal College of Arts, completing another film for the British Film Institute, "Loving Memory," from an original script financed by Albert Finney. In 1973, Scott partnered with his brother Ridley ("Alien," "Thelma & Louise") to form a London based commercial production company, RSA. Scott began his career creating some of the world's most entertaining and memorable commercials, honing his directing skills while picking up every major award in the field including a number of Clio Awards, several Silver and Gold Lion Awards from the Cannes International Television/Cinema Commercials Festival, and London's prestigious Designers & Art Directors Awards along the way. While shooting commercials, Scott also made three movies for television, two documentaries and a one-hour television special entitled "Author of Beltraffio" from the story by Henry James. In 1983, Scott started his feature film career with the modern vampire story "The Hunger," starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. Three years later he directed the Simpson Bruckheimer production, "Top Gun," starring Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis which broke box office records worldwide. He then went on to direct five more movies (two for Simpson Bruckheimer) over the next six years: "Beverly Hills Cop II," "Revenge," "Days of Thunder," "The Last Boy Scout," and the critically acclaimed "True Romance." While shooting another celebrated collaboration with Simpson Bruckheimer, "Crimson Tide," starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, the Scott brothers were in the midst of negotiating the sale of the legendary Shepperton Studios. The purchase was finalized in February 1995, providing a big boost for the British film industry. More than 600 feature films have been made at the West London studios. Recent productions include "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Frankenstein" and "Judge Dredd." Scott's last thriller, "The Fan," captured the essence of an obsessed fan, played by Robert De Niro, who stalks a baseball star portrayed by Wesley Snipes. Ellen Barkin rounded out the cast as an eager sportscaster. Scott recently completed "The Hunger" trilogy for Showtime with his brother Ridley. The trilogy is an adaptation of his earlier 1983 motion picture starring Catherine Denueve and Susan Sarandon into a series of supernatural, erotic shorts. He is currently working on his upcoming film, "Oh Baby Sky" an action adventure set against the dramatic back drop of rock-climbing. Based on real life characters, the film chronicles the lives of four "adrenaline junkies" who live life on the edge, literally.

What a film audience takes away from their two hours in a dark theater depends somewhat on who the audience is, but mostly on whom the filmmakers are. JERRY BRUCKHEIMER, one of the most successful producers of all time, is a filmmaker who loves telling a story with fully developed characters who go through a process to learn something. His films take us, his audience, through those same processes, and we leave the theaters enriched by the unforgettable characters, excited by the great stories and intrigued by the new experiences. So we go back, and keep going back, to the films that begin with the lightning bolt - the Bruckheimer films that have grossed billions and have earned their producer the acclaim and respect of his industry and devotion of moviegoers throughout the world. Bruckheimer has always been a storyteller. He started out with short ones - the 60-second tales he created as an award-winning commercial producer in his native Detroit. One of those mini-films, a parody of "Bonnie and Clyde" he created for Pontiac, was noted for its brilliance in Time magazine. It also brought the 23-year-old producer to the attention of world-renowned ad agency BBD&O, which lured him to New York. Four years on Madison Avenue gave him the experience and confidence to tackle Hollywood, and not yet 30, he was at the helm of memorable films like "Farewell, My Lovely" and "American Gigolo." Also among those early films was 1983's "Flashdance," a film that clich‚s aside, actually did change lives. It changed Jennifer Beals' life by making her a box office star. It changed its audiences' lives by killing off the jumping jack forever and turning us all into aerobic dancers. And it changed Bruckheimer's life by becoming a sleeper hit (grossing $100 million in the U.S. alone) and pairing him with an old acquaintance, producer Don Simpson, who would be his partner for the next 14 years. As one of the most prolific partnerships in recent motion picture history, Bruckheimer and Simpson produced films that were honored with 15 Academy Awardr nominations; two Oscarsr for Best Song; four Grammy's; three Golden Globes; two People's Choice Awards for Best Picture; and MTV Awards for Best Picture of the Decade. Equally important to Bruckheimer as a creative force was the fact that the films were turning their stars into box office giants. "Beverly Hills Cop" launched Eddie Murphy's film career and "Top Gun" made Tom Cruise an international superstar. Industry acclaim followed box office success. In both 1985 and 1988, Bruckheimer was named Producer of the Year by the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO). And with Simpson he was named Motion Picture Showman of the Year in 1988 by the Publicists Guild of America. By 1995 the team was producing one hit after another. In that year alone, Bruckheimer was responsible for "Bad Boys," the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence film that was Columbia Pictures' highest grossing movie of the year; Michelle Pfeiffer's acclaimed "Dangerous Minds" and "Crimson Tide," the Denzel Washington/Gene Hackman adventure that, with "Dangerous Minds," topped Hollywood Pictures' box office slate. In 1996 Bruckheimer produced "The Rock." Starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, the film broke new ground and continued established Bruckheimer traditions of success. With a box office gross of nearly $350 million worldwide, it set the video rental market record as the most-ordered film in history. His casting of the film reestablished Connery as an action star and created that same image for the intellectual Cage. THE ROCK, which was named Favorite Movie of the Year by NATO, more significantly was Bruckheimer's last movie with Simpson, who died tragically during production. Now on his own, Bruckheimer followed in 1997 with "Con Air," a film that firmly placed Cage in the stratosphere of international action heroes, and grossed over $200 million. It also earned the producer two more Oscarr nominations, a fifth Grammy and brought him once more to the attention of the international industry, which this year awarded him with the ShoWest International Box Office Achievement Award for his unmatched foreign box office grosses. And those grosses continued in 1998 with the July release of Touchstone Pictures' "Armageddon," the highest-grossing live action film ever to come from The Walt Disney Studios. Starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Steve Buscemi, the outer space adventure, directed by Michael Bay, proved to be the biggest movie this year, with combined revenues of nearly $500 million worldwide. (The film's receipts for its first several days in theatres ranked the picture the third largest grossing opening for a July 4th holiday weekend ever.) The film's soundtrack album hit multi-platinum status and spawned a #1 single, "Don't Want to Miss a Thing," for rock star Steven Tyler and Aerosmith. The group's video, which included scenes from the film, debuted on MTV and immediately became the #1 video in America. With worldwide revenues of over $4 billion in box office, video and recording receipts, more than any other producer in history, he continues to find and develop the films that will take him into the new millennium. Currently Jerry Bruckheimer Films is in preproduction on "Coyote Ugly," a romantic comedy for Touchstone Pictures about a young singer's discovery in a popular New York nightclub. A talented young singer moves to Manhattan looking for her big break and there she finds true love and self-confidence when she gets a job in a country western bar in Greenwich Village. The company is also planning to begin filming "Down and Under," a comedy adventure from "Con Air" scribe Scott Rosenberg for Castle Rock Entertainment. Set in Australia, the film chronicles the misadventures of two guys from Brooklyn - a hairdresser and a wanna be Mafioso - recruited to deliver mob money to an Australian gangster. When the duo accidentally loses the payment to a kangaroo, they embark on a madcap journey through the outback to recover the loot.

Upcoming are "Rogue Warrior," the story of a Navy seal; "Witness To the Truth," based on the true account of FBI agent Paul Lindsay; "The Veronica Guerrin Story," a biography of the heroic Irish journalist gunned down by Dublin crime lords; "The Tiger Project," based on the work in India of conservationist Belinda Wright; "Blackhawk Dawn" for Touchstone, the gripping recounting of the 1993 Somalian Battle of Mogadishu; "Operation Moses," the real story of a New York stockbroker who risked everything on a covert operation to rescue Ethiopian Jews; and "ESAU," the tale of a mountaineer who discovers the legendary Yeti on an unexplored Himalayan peak. What these and the other projects on his slate have in common is what his concepts have always shared - great characters playing out great plots. When the films reach the screen, they will share with each other what his films have always given us - stories told with style and passion, cinematic adventures that engage and hold us until Jerry Bruckheimer himself says it's a wrap.

DAVID MARCONI (Screenwriter) recently completed work with Oliver Stone on the upcoming sequel to Paramount Pictures' "Mission: Impossible" and is currently writing the script for WWIII.com, for Twentieth Century Fox about a possible World War III, based on an article in Wired magazine by Washington correspondent David Carlin. He aslo wrote the screenplay for "Red Badge," directed by Michael Mann for Warner Bros. He wrote and directed "The Harvest," starring Miguel Ferrer, the story of a writer who believes he has uncovered an organ transplant scam while doing research on a novel. The film made its debut at the Chicago and Seattle Film Festivals. Another project form his days at the University of Southern California, his short subject film, "Fiesta," was narrated by John Hurt and has been screened at several film festivals as well as airing on HBO, Cinemax and Z Channel. Marconi has also worked for producer Jerry Bruckheimer on his television series "Soldier of Fortune" and on the series "The Wave." He also has the following scripts in development with various filmmakers including "Mud, Sweat and Gears" with producer Robert Schaffel and "The Blonde Hurricane" for producer Ron Stone at Warner Bros., and "Sochi" with independent producer Arthur Sarcisian. Marconi is the co-author with Flint Dille of three novels: Agent 13, The Midnight Avenger, Agent 13 and the Serpentine Assassins and Agent 13 and the Acolytes of Darkness, all from Random House Publishing.

CHAD OMAN (Executive Producer) is the president of production of Jerry Bruckheimer Films for which he oversees all aspects of film and television development and production. Prior to joining Simpson Bruckheimer in the spring of 1995, Oman was a founding employee of the Motion Picture Corporation of America. After six years, he left the independent production company as senior vice president of production. His resume includes credits as executive producer on Jerry Bruckheimer Films' hit "Armageddon" starring Bruce Willis, "Con Air" starring Nicolas Cage and supervising producer on ABC's drama "Dangerous Minds" starring Annie Potts. Oman also acted as the associate producer on "Dumb and Dumber," starring Jim Carrey, executive producer on Touchstone Pictures' "The War At Home," starring Emilio Estevez, Kathy Bates and Martin Sheen and co-producer on "The Desperate Trail" with Linda Fiorentino and Sam Elliot and on "The Sketch Artist" with Drew Barrymore and Sean Young. Oman produced "Hands That See" with Courtney Cox and Jeff Fahey and "Love, Cheat and Steal" with John Lithgow and Eric Roberts. Currently he is putting the finishing touches on "Coyote Ugly," a romantic comedy for Touchstone Pictures about a young singer's discovery in a popular New York nightclub. A talented young singer moves to Manhattan looking for her big break when she finds true love and self-confidence when she gets a job in a country western bar in Greenwich Village. He is also working on "Down and Under," a comedy adventure from "Con Air" scribe Scott Rosenberg for Castle Rock Entertainment. Set in Australia, the film chronicles the misadventures of two guys from Brooklyn - a hairdresser and a wanna be Mafioso - recruited to deliver mob money to an Australian gangster. When the duo accidentally loses the payment to a kangaroo, they embark on a madcap journey through the outback to recover the loot. In addition to his work on JBF's many motion picture projects, Oman is also supervising production on several television projects including "Soldier of Fortune" starring Brad Johnson for Rysher Entertainment. Oman graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in finance. He also attended the University of California at Los Angeles where he studied screenwriting and New York University where he participated in the undergraduate film production program. He was born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas.

JAMES W. SKOTCHDOPOLE (Executive producer) is a native New Yorker who started in the film business when he was a teenager. "Enemy of the State" is his third collaboration with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, having worked on "Days of Thunder" and "Crimson Tide," the latter for which he was the associate producer. He has also enjoyed a long-standing and rewarding working relationship with director Tony Scott which started in 1988 with "Revenge" and continued to include "True Romance" on which he acted as co-producer and "The Fan" for which he was the executive producer. Skotchdopole, who has enjoyed a busy career as one of the top assistant directors in motion pictures as well as commercials, served as Scott's assistant director on "The Last Boyscout" and "Top Gun." Besides producing the independent feature film "Sand," Skotchdopole was also executive producer of "Mixed Nuts" and associate producer of "Sleepless In Seattle," both directed by Nora Ephron, and associate producer on Leonard Schrader's "Naked Tango." In the last 18 years, Skotchdopole has worked on over 75 film productions in various capacities.

Executive producer ANDREW Z. DAVIS most recently produced "Volcano," starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche, and executive produced "Love Affair" with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. He also acted as the line producer on "Lost Angels," "Sid & Nancy" and "Tapeheads." Davis was an executive at Hollywood Pictures for two and half years before signing an independent production deal with the studio under his own banner, Andrew Davis Productions. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema and Television. Davis was raised and developed his love for movies in Kansas City.

South African born DAN MINDEL (Director of Photography) was educated in Australia and Britain. he began his career as a cinematographer shooting commercials, working with some of the advertising world's most successful directors, including Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, Barry Kinsman, Hugh Johnson and Mike Seresin among others. His ads for Tony Scott include memorable commercials for such clients as Coke, Pepsi, Miller Brewing and Marlboro. In recent years Mindel moved into independent features and shorts. He acted as the director photography on "Recon" directed by Brett Eisner, "Champion" for Andy Snipes and "Sand" for producer James W. Skotchdopole and director Matt Palmieri. Mindel was responsible for the cinematography on the West Coast unit of "G.I. Jane," as well as for additional photography on Tony Scott's "The Fan." "Enemy of the State" marks his debut as the sole director of photography on a major motion picture.

BENJAMIN FERNANDEZ (Production Designer) is a native of Spain. After studying architecture in Madrid, he began his career as a draftsman on such epic films as "King of Kings," "El Cid," "The Fall of the Roman Empire," "Circus World" and David Lean's monumental "Lawrence of Arabia." He was promoted to assistant art director on Lean's classic "Dr. Zhivago" and continued in the position for the award-winning "Patton," "Nicholas and Alexandria," "Travels With My Aunt," "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad," "The Three Musketeers" and Ridley Scott's "Alien." As an art director, Fernandez expanded his talents, collaborating with producer Rafaella De Laurentiis on "Conan The Barbarian," "Dune" and "Tai Pan." He also worked with Blake Edwards on "Revenge of the Pink Panther," with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas on "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and with Ridley Scott on "1492: Conquest of Paradise." Fernandez first worked with Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott on their hit film "Days of Thunder." He has acted as the production designer on Scott's films "Revenge" and "True Romance." His other credits include "Nostromo," "Dragonheart," "Daylight" and "Kull: The Conqueror." In addition to his film work, Fernandez has designed several houses, hotels and restaurants in Spain.

CHRIS LEBENZON (Film Editor) previously co- edited producer Jerry Bruckheimer's "Armageddon" directed by Michael Bay and "Con Air" for director Simon West; as well as Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!" "Ed Wood" and "Batman Returns." He was consulting editor on "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas." An Academy Awardr nominee for his work as editor on producer Jerry Bruckheimer's "Crimson Tide" and as co-editor on "Top Gun," Lebenzon's other credits include "Midnight Run," "Days of Thunder," "Revenge," "Beverly Hills Cop II," "Weeds," "Weird Science" and "Wolfen." Born in Redwood City and raised in Palo Alto, California, Lebenzon graduated from Stanford University before entering the motion picture industry.

MARLENE STEWART (Costume Designer) has designed costumes for "The X-Files," "The Saint," "The Phantom," "Space Jam," "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar," "True Lies," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "The River Wild," "Falling Down," "A Dangerous Game," "I'll Do Anything," "Point of No Return," "JFK," "The Doors," "Pet Sematary II," "Truth or Dare," "Wild Orchid," "Siesta" and "Back to the Beach." Her television credits include "Tales from the Crypt" and "2000 Malibu Road," among others. Before turning to entertainment, Stewart designed contemporary women's clothing for her own label, Covers, which sold in stores in New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Milan and Rome. During this time, she met and began an association with singer/songwriter Madonna, collaborating with her to create a look that would inspire an entire generation. She worked on eleven of her videos, including "Vogue," "Express Yourself," "Like A Prayer" and "Material Girl" and on several of her concert tours. Stewart has also designed costumes for live shows by Cher, The Pointer Sisters, Paula Abdul, Boz Scaggs and Miami Sound Machine as well as videos for Smashing Pumpkins, Mick Jagger, Bette Midler, Janet Jackson, The Bangels, Rod Stewart, Debbie Harry and The Eurythmics. Born in Boston, Stewart graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in European history. After living in Europe for several years, she returned to New York and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology where she studied pattern making, but soon transferred to the Los Angeles Fashion Institute before starting her own business.

TREVOR RABINS (Music by) was born and raised in South Africa. His multiple musical talents eventually led him to become a member of the internationally acclaimed progressive art/rock group Yes. With that renowned band he served as guitarist, keyboardist, singer, songwriter, producer and recording engineer. He also composed the group's #1 hit single "Owner of a Lonely Heart" on their multi- platinum album 90125. With Yes, he also served in many creative and technical capacities to create the popular Big Generator and Talk albums. As a film composer, Rabins scored Touchstone Pictures' "Armageddon" and "Con Air," for producer Jerry Bruckheimer. His other film credits include "Frost" starring Michael Keaton. Trevor also wrote an original score for Steven Seagal's "Glimmer Man" and "Homegrown," starring Billy Bob Thornton.

HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS (Music by) enjoys an international career and recently created the score for the film "Antz," as well as "The Borrowers," "The Replacement Killers," "Deceiver" and "Smilla's Sense of Snow" and composed selected music cues for the blockbuster hit "Armageddon." He has also collaborated with leading film composers, writing additional music for the upcoming animated feature "The Prince of Egypt," as well as "Broken Arrow," "The Fan," "Muppet Treasure Island," and Jerry Bruckheimer's production of "The Rock." Born in England to a musical family, Gregson- Williams earned a scholarship from the music school of St. John's College in Cambridge at the age of seven. By age 13, he had been a soloist on over a dozen records, and then earned a coveted spot at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He started his film career as an orchestrator and arranger for composer Stanley Myers. He went on to compose his first major scores for Nicolas Roeg's "Full Body Massage" and "Hotel Paradise." His other early credits include a series of shorts for the BBC, the independent "White Angel," and "The Whole Wide World," for director Dan Ireland.

MIKE MEINARDUS (Mechanical Effects Coordinator) last worked for Jerry Bruckheimer on the hit films "The Rock" and "Bad Boys," both directed by Michael Bay. He acted as the overall special effects coordinator on "The Rock" and spearheaded the special pyrotechnic unit for "Bad Boys." His credits as special effects coordinator include Jan Dabont's "Twister," "Just Cause," Tony Scott's "True Romance," "Lawnmower Man II," "Hero" and "Ricochet." He has also worked on "The Quick and the Dead," "Speed," "Die Hard II," and "Total Recall" as the second unit coordinator. Meinardus honed his skills working as a special effects foreman on "Demoliton Man," "Ghost," "Lord of the Flies" and "Blind Date." Born and raised in Southern California, Meinardus was always fascinated by illusions, explosions, and the magic of filmmaking. He became interested in special effects when he was a teenager and saw "Damnation Alley." He apprenticed under such special effects masters as Al DiSarro, Tommy Fisher, and Joe Lombardi. He landed his first job as a coordinator on the picture, "Ricochet."

MARTIN KAISER (Surveillance Advisor) joined RCA Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey in 1957 as a senior research technician. There he worked for such renown scientists as Doctors Morton and Zworykin, co inventors of the television; Dr. Rudy, inventor of image conversion and intensifier tubes; Dr. Nergaard, inventor of the cavity magnetron that made radar a practicality; to name a few. Through these associations, he became involved in basic research on cryogenic techniques, infrared systems, evaporated phosphors and semiconductor concepts and development. He also worked on the Nimbus and Tiros satellites. During this time he also wrote extensively for technical and amateur radio publications. In the early `60s his efforts concentrated on VLF (anything below 10Hz) communication and he became involved in ionospheric and seismic studies. The Air Force funded his project in advanced research of ionospheric phenomena and he began to research for as radio free, or RF, an environment as possible. He moved to Barbados to conduct the study. Upon his return, he resumed his studies at Rider College in Trenton, New Jersey and after receiving his bachelors degree in business administration, briefly served as Chief Engineer at Telerad Manufacturing, a division of the Lionel Corporation. His responsibilities included the design and manufacture of several missile-borne transponders and receiver systems such as the Atlas missile command receiver. He then accepted a position with an aircraft radio manufacturer in Cockeysville, Maryland where he worked for a short while before forming Martin L. Kaiser, Inc. in 1965. His first customer was Armco Steel. As an electronic "fix it" man, he could repair just about any type of electronic equipment. When he repaired the company's ultrasonic probe system used to find flaws in steel ingots, the maintenance foreman was so surprised and thrilled at how quickly and efficiently he completed the task, he called his associates around the city of Baltimore and within minutes, Kaiser had over 50 industrial customers. One day on his way to a downtown brewery, Kaiser saw a sign that would change his life forever: Fort Holabird - US Army Intelligence. The then home of Army Intelligence, they had many pieces of equipment in disrepair. Kaiser offered his services and the government accepted. When he became aware of how much the government was paying for each piece of equipment, he again made them an offer of his services at a much reduced rate, which they also gladly accepted. Kaiser built over 100 products for the agency including a general-purpose amplifier, an RF detector, a telephone analyzer (or debugging device), plus many other types of transmitters. He also began lecturing at the US Army Intelligence school, at various state and local law enforcement agencies and to foreign governments. In the late 1960s when the Vietnam War escalated and racial strife exploded nationwide, he turned his efforts to bomb detection and disposal. This resulted in another extensive product line and the lecture circuit. Over time his name became recognized and well respected in the intelligence and law enforcement communities.

LARRY COX (Technical Advisor) is Vice President and Director of Special Programs at the ORINCON Corporation, a premier supplier of advanced technology products and services to government and commercial clients. This is his first association with the filmmaking business, but he hopes not his last. Growing up on the East Coast, Cox played guitar and bass with various local rock bands. He graduated from the University of Maryland with honors and was recruited by the National Security Agency into a research intern program. After several years of classroom technical and on-the-job training, he performed a wide range of analytic, systems engineering and operations jobs overseas and in the U.S. Cox was heavily engaged in assisting military operations planning and field support of combat and intelligence organizations. After 11 years of service, Cox left the NSA to join the General Electric Company. During his eight year tenure, he moved up the ladder from systems engineer to chief scientist to program manager to business development manager for space and ground systems engineering programs. Cox left a wonderful career at G.E. after hearing what he terms "the siren's call," to join the rough and tumble world of national politics as a professional staff member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the U.S. Congress. There he held oversight and authorization responsibility for space, advanced technology, communications and remote sensing programs. After serving under three committee chairmen and both political parties, Cox returned to private industry, first as a division vice president at the Sarnoff Labs, then moving to his current position at ORINCON. Cox serves on the board of directors of a professional association and consults for a major aerospace firm and government agency. He is a backpacker, guitarist, pilot, avid motorcyclist and a competitive target shooter.

HARRY HUMPHRIES (Technical Advisor) served in the United States Navy as a member of the elite SEAL teams for more than a dozen years. As a special weapons and demolitions expert, he specialized in counter terrorist programs. His first foray as a technical advisor was for Jerry Bruckheimer Films' "The Rock," where he oversaw all military aspects of the picture. He continued his relationship with Bruckheimer, working for him again on "Con Air" and "Armageddon." He even began working in front of the camera, making cameo appearances in each picture. In "Armageddon" he is the wizened flight instructor who describes the rigors of training with his top-flight pilots to the roughnecks. Humphries also acted as technical advisor for Ridley Scott on "G.I. Jane," putting actress Demi Moore and her costars through a grueling training program he designed while serving as a Navy SEAL. Humphries joined the naval reserve while studying industrial engineering at Rutgers University. He went active duty in the Navy in 1957 during the Berlin Wall crisis and soon became involved in the underwater demolition teams. He was the first replacement UDT to enter the newly established SEAL Team II. As a SEAL, he was involved in covert military operations before, during and after the Vietnam conflict. In 1971 Humphries left the Navy to join the corporate world. He worked as an engineering and operations manager with his family's company, Theobald Industries, for several years before venturing out on his own. He spent the next six years with Henkel KgaA as an international technical auditor, overseeing and supervising operations at the German chemical giant's many multi-national facilities. In 1986 Humphries and several partners purchased Amcal Chemical, a chemical specialties custom manufacturing company, with which he had dealings via Henkel. He acted as president of Amcal until 1990 when he turned over the reigns of the company to his wife, sons and partners. Since that time, Humphries has returned to his military roots, developing an international security business with several of his SEAL compatriots. Utilizing SEAL technology and training, they provide their skills and experience in security to the private sector. Humphries is currently president of Global Studies Group, Inc. As security consultants, they design, develop and implement security related services, training programs and crisis management worldwide. Humphries has also spent time as an instructor, teaching special weapons and tactics programs at Eastern Michigan University and at several training facilities. Humphries originally met producer Jerry Bruckheimer when he and partner Don Simpson purchased Rogue Warrior, from Humphries' friend and SEAL colleague, Dick Marcinko. Humphries was first asked to act as technical advisor to the writers hired to transform the best-selling book into a screenplay. His role has since expanded to other projects including Bruckheimer's television series, "Soldier of Fortune," and includes script development as well as training and coaching actors and stuntmen.

A native of Los Angeles, PATRICK SANDSTON (Associate Producer/Post Production Supervisor) began his career as a production executive at Paramount Studios. He soon moved to Walt Disney Studios in 1986 as a post production coordinator in television. Sandston's numerous talents in post did not go unnoticed, and he was rapidly promoted to the position of post-production supervisor, eventually becoming vice president of post production and visual effects for Walt Disney Pictures. In those ten years at the studio, Sandston oversaw virtually all aspects of post production on over 35 feature film, three EPCOT Center shorts and four Walt Disney World Tour films. A partial list of credits includes "James and the Giant Peach," "Dumbo Drop," "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Mr. Destiny," "Where the Heart Is," "Iron Will," "Miami Rhapsody" and "Beaches."

"Enemy of the State" marks the sixth Jerry Bruckheimer Production Sandston has teamed on as a post production supervisor and his second as an associate producer. Other Bruckheimer credits include "Armageddon," "The Rock," "Crimson Tide" and "Dangerous Minds."

My work as technical advisor on ENEMY OF THE STATE was a labor of love.  To watch the movie click here to go to amazon.com.  It cost $3.99 to view.  I built most of the electronic props such as bug detectors, tailing systems, covert devices and receivers.   You can read more about the movie on my web site at ENEMY OF THE STATE.
2 hours 10 minutes

Here are some of my other projects.

This Page contains several videos I have up loaded to YouTube.

The first is about my friend Frank Terpil.   I have known Frank since the early seventies.   He purchased several of my products which eventually led me to Egypt after the Yom Kipur war to assist President Sadat's palace guard. The movie is titled FRANK TERPIL - CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MAN  1 hour 26 minutes

Terpil's activities in Libia can be viewed in the MAD DOG series.   Some of the segments are lengthy but well worth watching.

THE SPYING GAME is a production of the BBC.  24 minutes

I made appearances on TV, radio shows and in newspapers to promote my autography. This is a lecture I did at the THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY.  1 hour

My lecture before the LAST HOPE (Hackers Of Planet Earth) reveals my feelings about the US intelligence community and FBI.  52 minutes

Recently I appeared on the Progressive Rado Network (PRN.FM) show the INTELLIGENCE HOUR with Kevin Shipp. The segment is 55 minutes long.

Here is Kevin Shipp's lecture on the SHADOW GOVERNMENT. A truly frieghtening presentation. 1 hour 7 minutes

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