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Enemy of the State poster

Movies that feel likeEnemy of the State (1998)

When the videotape of the murder of a congressman unknowingly ends up in the hands of labor lawyer and dedicated family man Robert Clayton Dean, he is framed for the murder. With the help of the mysterious Brill, Dean attempts to throw the NSA off his trail and prove his innocence.

If you loved Enemy of the State, the closest films we have are Shooter (2007), The Negotiator (1998) and Donnie Brasco (1997). All three share Enemy of the State's contemplative and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008).

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If Enemy of the State hit the spot, these will too

Shooter poster
Shooter
2007 Β· dir. Antoine Fuqua
πŸ… 47%β˜… 7.2drama Β· action Β· thrillerParamount+Starz

The same preoccupation in both: life on the run

A top Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, leaves the military after a mission goes horribly awry and disappears, living in seclusion. He is coaxed back into service after a high-profile government official convinces him to help thwart a plot to kill the President of the United States. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, Swagger becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. He goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why, eventually seeking revenge against some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.

The Negotiator poster
The Negotiator
1998 Β· dir. F. Gary Gray
β˜… 7.3action Β· crime Β· drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: murder

The difference: Leans harder into crime than Enemy of the State does

The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.

Donnie Brasco poster
Donnie Brasco
1997 Β· dir. Mike Newell
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.7crime Β· drama Β· thrillerNetflix

Two things both keep coming back to: mafia and surveillance

The difference: Takes it somewhere less kinetic than Enemy of the State does

An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and identifies more with the mafia life at the expense of his regular one.

Unstoppable poster
Unstoppable
2010 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 87%β˜… 6.8action Β· thriller

Tony Scott working the same nerve twice

When a massive, unmanned locomotive roars out of control, the threat is more ominous than just a derailment. The train is laden with toxic chemicals, and an accident would decimate human life and cause an environmental disaster. The only hope of bringing the train to a safe stop is in the hands of veteran engineer Frank Barnes, and young conductor Will Colson, who must risk their lives to save those in the runaway's path. Inspired by true events.

Conclave poster
Conclave
2024 Β· dir. Edward Berger
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4drama Β· thrillerStarz

The same mix in both: stillness, then tension

The difference: Made in the 2020s, in a different era of the craft

After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.

The Baader Meinhof Complex poster
The Baader Meinhof Complex
2008 Β· dir. Uli Edel
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.3action Β· crime Β· dramaPrime Video

Kinetic and paranoid in the same breath

When German police viciously quell a protest against the shah of Iran, popular journalist Ulrike Meinhof rebels against her dishonest marriage, walks away from her children and joins radical anarchist Andreas Baader. Together with Baader's girlfriend, Gudrun Ensslin, they form the violent Red Faction Army, and together perpetrate a slew of terrorist attacks as a way of disrupting the fabric of what they see as an increasingly fascist state.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit poster
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
2014 Β· dir. Kenneth Branagh
πŸ… 55%β˜… 6.2action Β· drama Β· thrillerParamount+Starz

Common ground: murder

Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.

White House Down poster
White House Down
2013 Β· dir. Roland Emmerich
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.3action Β· drama Β· thrillerNetflixStarz

Action built on momentum, twice over

Capitol Policeman John Cale has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service protecting President James Sawyer. Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation's government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.

Exterritorial poster
Exterritorial
2025 Β· dir. Christian ZΓΌbert
β˜… 5.8thriller Β· actionNetflix

Thriller with a pulse of tension, in both cases

When her son vanishes inside a US consulate, ex-special forces soldier Sara does everything in her power to find him β€” and uncovers a dark conspiracy.

The Man in the Iron Mask poster
The Man in the Iron Mask
1998 Β· dir. Randall Wallace
πŸ… 32%β˜… 6.5adventure Β· action Β· drama

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Years have passed since the Three Musketeers, Aramis, Athos and Porthos, have fought together with their friend, D'Artagnan. But with the tyrannical King Louis using his power to wreak havoc in the kingdom while his twin brother, Philippe, remains imprisoned, the Musketeers reunite to abduct Louis and replace him with Philippe.

Pi poster
Pi
1998 Β· dir. Darren Aronofsky
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.3mystery Β· drama Β· thrillerPrime Video

Both lean on paranoia more than on drama

A mathematical genius discovers a link between numbers and reality, and thus believes he can predict the future.

The Manchurian Candidate poster
The Manchurian Candidate
1962 Β· dir. John Frankenheimer
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.9thriller Β· drama

Contemplative thriller in both cases

Near the end of the Korean War, a platoon of U.S. soldiers is captured by communists and brainwashed. Following the war, the platoon is returned home, and Sergeant Raymond Shaw is lauded as a hero by the rest of his platoon. However, the platoon commander, Captain Bennett Marco, finds himself plagued by strange nightmares and soon races to uncover a terrible plot.

In the mood for more kinetic?

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The best-reviewed films that share Enemy of the State’s defining feeling.