Enemies of the State

Directed by Sonia Kennebeck, Enemies of the State explores the complicated legal history of a young man, Matt DeHart, accused by the United States of a litany of crimes (including child pornography and selling secrets to foreign governments). It’s compelling stuff that’s employed to woefully (and increasingly) erratic effect by Kennebeck, as the filmmaker delivers an overlong and progressively convoluted documentary that suffers from a lack of focus that grows more and more problematic as time progresses. The degree to which the movie eventually does peter out is admittedly rather disappointing, given that Kennebeck offers up a briskly-paced opening half hour that contains a great deal of captivating material and certainly seems to bode well for the remainder of the proceedings. (This is despite an ongoing emphasis on absolutely pointless reenactments that are more distracting than anything else.) There’s little doubt, though, that Enemies of the State eventually moves into a meandering midsection that essentially (and effectively) overloads the viewer with information and differing view points, and it does, as a result, become virtually impossible to work up any interest in or enthusiasm for the often unbelievable plight of the picture’s central subject. And although Kennebeck does offer up some surprises within the movie’s closing stretch, Enemies of the State concludes on an ambiguous, far-from-impactful note that ultimately confirms its place as a hit-and-miss documentary that’s more the latter than the former.

** out of ****