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Tony Scott’s 1998 film Enemy of the State is an action film centred around the deviances of surveillance technology. The film’s editing throughout serves to enable and reinforce these aspects respectively; creating a fast-paced film with voyeuristic shots which reinforce the film’s narrative through employment of rhythmic relations and continuity editing.

As an action film, Enemy of the State employs the use of rapid jump cuts in order to facilitate its genre. Used more obviously in high action sequences, such as chase scenes, this editing style is used to ensure the viewer’s engagement whilst impressing upon the audience a sense of urgency and involving them with the narrative; immersing them in the feeling of being chased. This form of rhythmic relations is used throughout to ensure the film’s central elements of tracking, pursuit and danger are directly related to its audience.

The film also employs continuity editing, specifically in the form of a variety of crosscutting techniques, which work to enhance the film’s pace, tone, and importantly allow telecommunications links to be established across differing locations. The use of crosscutting throughout lends itself to the idea of an omnipresent force; used to subtly impress upon the audience the idea that everything can be seen at all times. That is, that the NSA is watching, thereby further engrossing the audience in the film’s main theme of surveillance paranoia.

Enemy of the State thereby serves as an excellent example of the way in which editing may be used to enhance, even drive, narrative and reflect and reiterate a film’s main themes, creating a cohesive whole.