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Product Details
The superlative British miniseries becomes a smart, soap opera-free film courtesy of The Last King of Scotland's Kevin Macdonald. His writers, including Tony Gilroy (the Bourne series) and Billy Ray (Breach), haven't simply condensed and Americanized the six-hour series--they've reinvented it. Now set in Washington D.C., veteran journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe, replacing Brad Pitt, who dropped out over script changes) still collaborates with editor Cameron Lynne (a delectably imperious Helen Mirren) and junior reporter Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) on a story involving Cal's politico pal, Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), but there's a new subtext behind their plunge into sex scandals and corporate malfeasance, since this State of Play also eulogizes old-school beat reporting, and in interviews, Macdonald has acknowledged the influence of newsprint classics like All the President's Men (the Watergate Hotel even shows up as a location). So, while Cal and Della, the Globes blogger, try to determine whether the congressmans aide Sonia (with whom he was having an affair) died at her own hands or the hands of another, they're also fighting for their careers and the survival of their ailing paper. Stephen's political rival Senator Fergus (Jeff Daniels), does his best to stymie their efforts, but PR flack Dominic Foy (Jason Bateman) becomes a reluctant ally. Though fans of the series may miss a few characters, like Cameron's son (played by James McAvoy in the BBC version), Oscar-winning documentarian-turned-filmmaker Macdonald remains true to its spirit. Be sure to stay through the poignant end credits, during which he returns to his doc roots. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Stills from State of Play (Click for larger image)
Product Reviews
 (4 stars) - Good fun political thriller
This was a good political thriller after a while. If I may digress a little bit, how come there are never enough good political thrillers?
Crowe as usual is good. Rachel McAdams is believable and Ben Affleck and Robin Wright Penn turn in good performances. On the Blu-ray disc, the dark recesses of DC and the dark nature of politics appeared as they should- dark and creepy. Good transfer. Great sound. I have a minor peeve about the extras on the disc or lack of thereof but still enjoyed a good thriller. Now I want to see the BBC miniseries which it is based on.
For folks looking for an adult political thriller, here is one. Enjoy!
(4 stars) - Crackling Political Thriller
For the first two-thirds or so I thought this flick was teetering toward predictability. In the last third is when some decent twists and red herrings start to kick in. At this point you find yourself riveted to the screen. The denouement is plausible and definitely not a cop-out. The film is distinguished by top-notch direction, writing, and acting particularly Ben Affleck as a disgraced congressman. I note Affleck becuase lately he's been making his mark not only in this film but in "Hollywoodland" where he was stupendous as the late actor George Reeves. "State of Play" isn't a particularly great film but better than the average fare.
(4 stars) - A thriller for adults.
An intelligent thriller about journalistic integrity and political corruption.
Russell Crowe leads an excellent ensemble cast in this story of a corrupt Congressman and the challenges of traditional news gathering in this age of blogs and the 24-hour news cycle. Ben Affleck is surprisingly good as the Congressman ... perhaps he should stick to ensemble pieces like this and shy away from leading man roles. Helen Mirren is a standout as the beleagured newspaper boss, caught between her corporate bosses and her desire for journalistic excellence. Robin Wright Penn and Jeff Daniels round out the excellent cast.
Tight plotting, a shocking twist near the end, a welcome lack of explosions, and just a small amount of R-rated language make this an excellent adult thriller, very welcome in this age when most movies are aimed at 15-year-old boys.
(4 stars) - Riveting and timely
Perhaps I could have rated State of Play five stars if I hadn't seen the BBC miniseries. As good as the movie is, it is limited by the medium and could only provide broad hints of the subplots that made the BBC series so rich and suspenseful. However, this movie is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours.
The cast is outstanding. Russell Crowe is superb as the driven reporter who is personally involved in a story that threatens to destroy his Congressman friend, played by Ben Affleck. Affleck is underrated as an actor; his portrayal of Stephen Collins is finely nuanced and convincing. Rachel McAdams is brave and naive as the ambitious cub reporter who longs to be taken seriously and Robin Wright Penn is nicely sympathtic as Collins' wronged and wronging wife. Helen Mirren is forceful and profane as Cal's editor, though sometimes it seemed she didn't quite understand what an editor actually does. Still, though it's possible to nit-pick--why would the writers have Collins openly weep at a Congressional hearing, for example--all these things are necessary to the plot, which is necessarily limited by time. See above.
State of Play is great entertainment, and addresses the issue of what we have a right to expect from elected officials. How sad it is that thirty years after All The President's Men, this continues to be an issue worth investing millions into a movie?
 (3 stars) - State of Play... Gary Condit action figure not included.
State of Play: 6 out of 10: State of Play is two hour plus big budget thriller without one memorable scene and only one memorable performance. The memorable performance is Helen Mirren who brightens up the screen whenever she appears. The rest of the performances are more stereotypes than individual characters.
Russell Crowe plays a reporter for a Washington Post stand-in. He looks and act like the stereotypical beat reporter. His best friend is Congressman Ben Affleck who is your standard movie congressional representative (Noble but battling demons.) He is caught in an affair with a now dead staffer and his best friend is on the case. Tagging along with Crowe is neophyte cub reporter Rachel McAdams who Jimmy Olsens it up despite the fact she is a lead blogger at a major national newspaper. Robin Wright Penn plays Afflecks cuckolded wife and seems to be in a different movie than the rest of the cast.
Mirren is the newspapers publisher and gets the films best lines, which she dishes, with aplomb. Everyone else seems to be playing along at half speed. For a thriller there is a strange lack of action or tension. The twists seemed preordained and the characters behave exactly as they are programmed.
The film certainly has star power and a big budget but it simply does not seem to know what to do with it. Part of the problem is that it is condensed from a 2003 British mini-series of the same name. Condensing the 300 minutes of plot into 120 or so minutes leaves little room for character development or nuance. The players seem to be quickly checking of plot boxes.
The films other big problem is that it is a overwrought love letter to the newspaper business, including groan worthy dialogue about the magnanimous printed fourth estate and an end title sequence that can only be described as porn for publishers.
Somewhat entertaining and yet eminently forgettable State of Play is worth a look. Just do not expect that good a time.
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