Synopsis

Washington, D.C. labor attorney Robert Clayton Dean unknowingly receives evidence of a political assassination after a chance encounter with an old friend. A corrupt intelligence official then uses the full power of the surveillance state to destroy Dean's career, marriage, and reputation. Forced into hiding, Dean turns to an elusive former operative for help exposing the conspiracy and clearing his name.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was built around an original screenplay by David Marconi rather than an adaptation of a novel.

• The National Security Agency did not cooperate with the production. To obtain footage resembling the agency's headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland, the filmmakers filmed from public airspace.

• Gene Hackman reportedly turned down the project several times before accepting after a personal appeal from Tony Scott. Will Smith later agreed to a comparatively modest salary because he wanted to work with Hackman.

• The storm-drain car chase was filmed inside a large air-duct tunnel beneath Baltimore's Fort McHenry Road Tunnel. The vehicles had to be cut into sections, moved underground, reassembled, and later removed the same way.

• Smith improvised Dean's joke about buying lingerie for himself and experimenting with cross-dressing on weekends, adding a burst of comedy to an otherwise tense sequence.

• Filming took place from November 5, 1997, through April 6, 1998, with production locations in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Los Angeles.

• Released by Touchstone Pictures on November 20, 1998, the film earned approximately $250.8 million worldwide against a reported $90 million budget.