36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
Finally a great adult suspense movie
Finally a great adult suspense film about several timely subjects . It 's about the dying newspapers and political corruption.
Russell Crowe is excellent as an overweight ,slightly shabby journalist ,who is flawed personally,but an excellent journalist.
Helen Mirren is good as his stressed boss.Ben Afflek is surprisingly good as his old friend and US...
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3 ½ Stars: Responsibilities of Credible Reporting Collides With a Murder Mystery
Based on the BBC mini-series, director Kevin McDonald's "STATE OF PLAY" blends the two most reliable, favorite ingredients of an effective thriller; a political-conspiracy thriller mixed in with a journalism drama with a touch of a murder mystery mixed in. The film's direction can be taut, clean and energetic that plays on the moralities of politics and the responsibility...
Finally a great adult suspense film about several timely subjects . It 's about the dying newspapers and political corruption.
Russell Crowe is excellent as an overweight ,slightly shabby journalist ,who is flawed personally,but an excellent journalist.
Helen Mirren is good as his stressed boss.Ben Afflek is surprisingly good as his old friend and US congressman. Rachel
McAdams is fine as the new face of the news,a blogger for the newspaper. There is suspense, that grabs you and holds you til the end. I saw it with friends and discussed it through and after dinner. Always a sign of a good movie. How in the world does Crowe manage to be so appealing in messy clothes and overweight? I highly recommend this movie.
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"Guess Ive got that old travlin bone, cause this feelin wont leave me alone.
But I wont, wont be losin my way, no, no
long as I can see the light."
Cleerance Clearwater Revival
No Way, 'State of Play, the BBC miniseries was the best series I have seen since 'Wired'. No Way, was the American version going to be as good. I was right, it is not as good, but Almost!
Russell Crowe as Cal McCaffrey, the old time journalist who works for truth and justice, brings that justice to this film, like no one else could. He makes this film what it is. Rachel McAdams, as the Capitol Hill blogger, is fine in her role, but it could have been anyone. Helen Mirren, as the editor of this fine paper, is ruthless and mean and fine, as is her wont. But, it was Russell Crowe who made this film fascinating. The dirty long hair flowing as he walked and ran down corridors. The paunch from eating all those fast food meals and drinking the Irish wine, Scotch. Yep, this was the real deal, the newsmen of yesteryear.
The aide to Congressman, Stephen Collins, played by Ben Affleck, dies suddenly, an accident or suicide or was it murder? Cal and his newspaper blogger, Dela, start snooping and find that one and one don't make two, it adds up to five. Four murders and an investigation into a security group that hopes to control the world. As time moves on and clues begin to come together and stories unravel, we have a fast paced mystery, here. It is full of suspense and intrigue and just when we think we know who done it, the circle moves. That Russell Crowe, he could be one of the best actors around, you know that?
Based on the BBC mini-series, director Kevin McDonald's "STATE OF PLAY" blends the two most reliable, favorite ingredients of an effective thriller; a political-conspiracy thriller mixed in with a journalism drama with a touch of a murder mystery mixed in. The film's direction can be taut, clean and energetic that plays on the moralities of politics and the responsibility of credible reporting. Kevin McDonald maneuvers the film's script in a meaty web of intrigue and suspense that is nicely acted and honest in its execution.
Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) is a seasoned reporter working at a struggling newspaper called "The Washington Globe". When the research assistant (played by Maria Thayer) and lover to a congressman named Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is killed, her mysterious death provokes a lot of speculation for a high-profile story. Cal has a history with Collins and his wife Anne (Robin Wright Penn), so he is the natural pick to tackle this story. But Cal becomes conflicted with what story he wants to tell the longer he digs for the truth; which leads him to team up with a young inexperienced reporter named Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) to sort out the mystery full of political intrigue to avoid further bloodshed and uncover the real story behind all the rumors and deceptions. Cal now finds himself face to face with his own `crisis of conscience' as his own proven investigative skills may not coincide with the needs for profit and that the real story may alienate his own friends.
"State of Play" is a thriller that tries to keep its toes by mixing in elements of a political thriller that touches on some real world events after the tragedy of 9/11 and the responsibilities of credible fact-finding. The script by Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), Matthew Carnahan (The Kingdom) and Billy Ray has its share of good dialogue delivered by characters that has some layers and dimensions that proved interesting. Cal represents the old-school style of reporting; he checks his facts, looks for credible sources and ignores the unnecessary hidden stories. His dislike on young inexperienced blogger Della comes absolutely natural. Cal sees her as the spoiled reporter who may write appealing articles who happen to have a better computer and a better office. The two are representations of the signs of the times and the internet phenomenon. It was also nice to see the script avoid the trappings of a perfunctory romance between the two reporters but instead director McDonald uses a sort of a mentor-student type of relationship between the two after they realize that they are both after the same thing.
The film's political side comes from the character of Stephen Collins who may have the best interests of the country at heart, although he made some mistakes on some decisions such as bedding his own research assistant. The screenplay is a little cautious, but it does point an accusing finger at certain corporations who make huge profit from a war. Apparently the privatization of soldiers in the war against terror is one profitable industry, and these soldiers are just mercenaries answerable to no one. The moral responsibilities of fighting a war are touched upon as well as maintaining the image of a clean public figure. Smear campaigns, damaging rumors and speculations are used to manipulate Congress to satisfy the needs of big corporate America.
Director McDonald does get the atmosphere and the fast-paced feel of a newspaper right. I liked the old-school `press room' with the editor looking above the reporters. McDonald is to be commended that he remembered to bring such late night hurdles into exposition; although frankly, the stereotypical character of Cal's editor in the person of Helen Mirren should've been abandoned. Mirren does a good performance as Cal's impatient and overly cautious editor, but her character has been overused in other films in this genre. The shady, corrupt politician in the person of Jeff Daniels has also been done to death. I also have issues with the age factor between Cal and Collins; Affleck and Crowe just don't fit as former college buddies. Affleck is decent as the congressman but Crowe just looked so much older than him, I couldn't really buy into the idea that they're the same age. The relationship between Cal and Anne isn't really brought into fruition; quite frankly, it felt a little forced to add some spice to the screenplay.
The manner of which the plot unravels is full of various storylines that come to a satisfying ending but some elements feel unnecessary. The script should have been more compact and some scenes dragged a little bit. It doesn't really hurt the film but Jason Bateman's scenes should have been more efficiently played out. It also seemed to try too hard on satisfying its audience in both the cerebral conspiracy thriller fan base and the action junkies; it does work on some levels but I thought the script may have had the fear of becoming too talkie that it needed to bring some gunplay into the mix. Some of the scenes just didn't match the film's tone at times.
"State of Play" does have some nice touches such as an old-fashioned workhorse in the face of "blogger-space", it explores the morals of profit gain and the responsibilities of public officials; the problem is, sometimes, it just felt that the film didn't have confidence enough to stay within the realms of a journalistic drama. It tries to be too complex just for the sake of becoming complex, that it felt like it threw too many ideas that slowed the film's pace. It does feel predictable in the middle of the film, but I did appreciate the effort in delivering a credible thriller. It does deliver the goods and the effective revelations do hit the right spots.
Recommended! [3 ½ Stars]
Video/Audio: 2.35 ratio anamorphic widescreen. The picture looks pristine even when the colors looked a little restrained. The quality of the picture matches the film's tone. The 5.1 Dolby Digital track is clear enough and well channeled.
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I admit I have never watched the BBC miniseries upon which State of Play is loosely based, but for a feature-length movie, this is not bad at all. A sort of conspiracy/political thriller, State of Play stars the talented Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, and Jeff Bridges. Crowe plays Cal McAffrey, a veteran long-haired, rather chubby [but still looks great!] journalist with The Washington Globe, working under hard-nosed boss Cameron Lynne [Helen Mirren]. He is obviously really good at his job, but does have to contend with advances in technology and in particular, an eager beaver cub reporter/blogger Della Frye [Rachel McAdams]. When Cal is assigned to investigate a murder that seems to be drug motivated, he finds another case landing on his plate - the apparent suicide of a political aide, who also happened to be the mistress of his ex-college roommate, Congressman Stephen Collins [Ben Affleck] who is married to Anne Collins [Robin Wright Penn].
Soon, Cal and Della find themselves embroiled in a conspiracy that has to do with a private security corporation, and the pair's investigations uncover some very startling revelations. The story moves along at a quick pace, and just as I thought I had it all figured out, a couple of twists in the plot had me rethinking the story arcs. Credibly-acted, this movie has it all - assured direction, intelligent plot, and plenty of plot twists and action to satisfy those who are fans of the political/conspiracy/thriller genres.
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Based on the 2003 BBC series, the Americanized State of Play is an engaging, intelligent, and above all else impeccably acted thriller that delivers the goods. Russell Crowe stars as veteran reporter Cal McAffrey, who uncovers a hidden plot involving his old college pal and current congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) upon the murder of his mistress. Working alonside Cal is junior reporter Della (Rachel McAdams), and the two of which end up making some huge discoveries that could put both their lives in jeopardy. Thanks to the sharp direction from Last King of Scotland director Andrew Macdonald and a twisting and intelligent screenplay, State of Play ends up being a satisfying thriller and drama on its own merits, and nicely condences the entire BBC series into one two hour film. The cast however is the true standout of the film, with Crowe, Affleck, and McAdams delivering some wonderful performances. Not to mention that the rest of the cast, including Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, Robin Wright Penn, Jeff Daniels, and Viola Davis, isn't too shabby either. All in all, regardless of whether or not you are familiar with the original BBC series, this American take on State of Play is wholeheartedly worth your time, especially if you're looking for a drama/thriller that definitely takes substance over style.
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Positives:
(1.) Do not see this movie until you've seen the far superior BBC 2003 miniseries (also on DVD). Many feel, including some staff of this movie, to be one of the best TV thrillers ever produced.
(2.) A well conceived Americanized version in which the governments use of private ex-military personnel and lobbyists, ostensibly to promote the American concept of freedom, but more accurately it's an exercise in economics or how to get rich quick.
Negatives:
(1.) Miscasting both in terms of the skill of the actors to become believable journalists, politicians and other professionals, and stereocasting as exemplified by an aggressive novice female reporter; an unkempt lead reporter; a couple of blacks playing unfortunately stereotypic roles; an obligatory ex-Bond British female matriarch boss; dumb police; sly politicians.
(2.) Stereotypic both for the newspaper and background, e.g. reporter strolls through newsroom with harried staff jumping up for attention; unkempt respected lead reporter with unkempt apartment with unkempt office; scenes with helicopters (served no purpose in the story) underground public garages and hotel rooms - all crutches used too many times in movies of this type.
(3.) Poor directing with scene jumping and disjointed transitions that left you feeling deprived of connection with the story and it's people. No flow and too superficial. Notice I didn't say characters because there was plenty of, and all too apparent, artificial characterization.
(4.) Poor script writing in this Americanized dumbed down version best illustrated by the fact that they had to over rely on music to create suspense and tension; as well as trying to be contemporary American chic with iPhones, blogs, Blackwater (XE) and contemporary TV newscasters. Alas, the movie was made before tweets were hot.
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/start rant/
Considering that I might have saved myself two hours, five bucks and several thousand calories, it's a shame I didn't come here BEFORE watching State of Play - after reading a sampling of the top reviews, I'm sure I'd have skipped this film. Seriously, isn't it amusing that a plot about journalism generates so much error-ridden, grammar-abusing, typo-laden, comma-slinging copy? This review page badly needs an editor. (oops)
/end rant/
In a film that can't decide between a half-dozen lead stories, Russell Crowe anchors it just enough to make it watchable. His character's old-school approach to investigative journalism, especially as contrasted with the slick, wiz-bang appeal of online "truthiness", provides the only compelling storyline. The remaining 9/10ths of the plot is borrowed from character Della Frye's news blogs - implausible, overwrought and lacking substance. This film had great potential, but fails to deliver.
A couple of side notes: First, Jason Bateman shines as the sleezy PR operator; the film is almost worth watching just for that performance alone. Second, anyone living in or near Washington D.C. will enjoy most of the outdoor scenes for the recognizable landmarks. I was disappointed that one particular scene of Ben Affleck's character leaving the Washington Globe offices was deleted - my 10 year-old son filmed the crew as they filmed that scene!
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State of Play has received much attention for its spin on the plight of today's newspapers. The story pairs up a veteran journalist (Cal McAfferey, played by Russell Crowe with an odd accent) with a newbie blogger (Della Frye, played by Rachel McAdams). The plot is technically about the death of Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer) who just happens to be working for Rep. Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) who just happens to be a former roommate of Cal. It seems there's something rotten in the state department, or in this case the private military company they hire: PointCorp, an analog for Blackwater.
State of Play has two different agendas, one more overt than the other. At its heart, the movie postulates what would happen if the U.S. military had largely surrendered its operations to freelance military operations that are not accountable to the American people. This is no theory. In fact, Blackwater received so much negative publicity that it changed its name to Xe. The supposed hue and cry that would be raised by this revelation didn't amount to much, deflating the entire premise of State of Play.
The other main theme is the tension between supposed cub reporters who only blog on the web and real journalists who aren't afraid to pick up the phone or make a deal. Frye is a foil to make Cal look smart. At no point do we see Frye actually blog or the consequences of her blogging, besides reporting on something Cal felt was private. Or to put it another way: bloggers are self-serving, unethical morons who don't know how to report the facts. The movie feels decidedly lopsided in favor of beat reporters. Oh sure, there's tension and drama and a few surprises along the way. But Frye is completely unnecessary.
In the background is the looming threat of the newspaper being closed, but these occasional reminders (falling from the foul mouth of Helen Mirren, no less) feel forced. To assume one breaking story would save the newspaper is to fundamentally misunderstand the downfall of the newspaper industry.
State of Play was based on a 2003 BBC serial of the same name. And that's the problem. Too long and creaky in places, it feels like a movie drawn from subject matter that's six years out of date.
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You are taken on quite a ride with 'State of Play' where Ben Affleck and Russell Crow play friends, Affleck a very involved Congressman and Crow a very active Journalist who seems on the last legs of a career with the paper he works for going more to the web. His editor, who is attempting to squeeze every dollar out of the paper gets more and more delirious about McAffrey (Crow) as he tries to track down the truth behind a scandal involving congressman Collins (Affleck).
There are a few twists and you get a feel of the issues that the News Media faces with balancing getting the story, versus getting the truth. (See the Book 'Losing the News'). Then you have a congressman who is overseeing the committee for reviewing a new national security consulting firm. The plot thickens as McAffrey pulls back the layers of information using all of the sources he can dig up. Great bit on investigative journalism. I think it gives a little of a sense of what went on in the Watergate era with Deep Throat and Woodward and Burnstein.
The junior reporter/blogger Della Frye, played by Rachel McAdams, is vying for getting noticed in her career giving us a sense of play between Generation X and the quickly getting behind the times Baby Boom Generation.
You have a couple of interesting threads blending marvelously into one, issues of Government and corruption, Journalistic excellence and the current state of the News Print medium and internal generational differences.
This really makes for keeping you on the edge of your seat and having to really stay in tune with what is going on. Interestingly, everyone is questioning everyone elses integrity throughout and you really feel for McAffrey when everyone questions his motives for his approach in digging and digging for the truth.
Definately one of my favorites for 2009, State of Play is a must for the DVD library.
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Take an excellent cast, a smart director and an accomplished screen writer, throw them into a room and let them go at it and you'd swear you'll walk away with a masterpiece, right. Well, a masterpiece `State of Play' is not, but what it is is a very, very good movie; a great movie even. With noteworthy performances, a tightly woven plot and engaging camera work that keeps us glued throughout, `State of Play' did more than just hold my attention; it grabbed it and flung it across the room.
I knew I was going to see this movie before I knew anything about it; I am that devoted to Russell Crowe. Then I read that it was a remake of a BBC min-series. I still have as of yet to see that, but I will now that I've seen this film.
I don't want to spoil too much of the movie, since Tony Gilroy worked real hard to make this an engaging and exciting thrill ride with twists and turns that are not predictable (even if you think they are). All I'll say is that it starts with a murder, and then a presumed suicide. Reporter Cal McAffrey is working on the murders, while blog reporter Della Frye is working on the suicide. The suicide happens to be of a woman who worked for Congressman Stephen Collins, an old college buddy of Cal's. When Cal starts to look into the young woman's death he unveils that the murder he is working on and this `suicide' seem to be related; but it goes much deeper than that.
Like I said, I really don't want to give too much away.
The acting here is spot on across the board. Crowe is always a reliable source for quality entertainment, and he doesn't disappoint here. He also doesn't out act his co-stars (which wouldn't be hard for him to do when matched with McAdams or Affleck), so the film never seems uneven. This isn't to say that he drops the ball, for he is always in character and acting his tail off (just watch the way he processes information, that look on his face), but he knows the type of film he's in and the type of performance needed to sell this.
A pleasant surprise is the fact that some actors who are less than brilliant really up their game here and deliver wonderfully.
Ben Affleck shocked me with his ability to really `act', something I've rarely, if ever, seen him do. Rachel McAdams is one of the most beautiful women on the planet (seriously) and she has shown much potential in her career. She doesn't blow anything out of the box here, but she is consistent and believable. Helen Mirren is a firecracker and steals her every scene. Robin Wright Penn is touching and moving, yet forgettable. Jeff Daniels was a nice touch, and his final confrontation with Crowe was stellar ("SON!"). For me though, this movie belongs to Jason Bateman, an actor I am not very familiar with who just blazes the screen in his few short scenes. He is witty, charming (in a very creepy sort of way) and wholly believable. I just wish they had written him into a few more scenes.
Like I said, this is not a masterpiece, but it is an enthralling and captivating political thriller that makes good use of its cast and its timeframe, injecting a rapid fire pace that keeps us glued to the screen, never wavering for a second or losing our interest long enough for us to get confused or give up.
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