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.
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.
Buy State of Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) (2009) Now
My husband brought home this DVD and I'd never even heard of it. Why wasn't this a huge hit? Was it only in theaters for a minute, or what? My theory: this is another movie that fell victim to a terrible, awful title. I challenge you to remember the title "State of Play" while you are watching it, without cheating and looking at the DVD case.As for the movie, five hearty stars, two thumbs up, GREAT suspenseful, smart thriller with a terrific all-star cast. A love letter to the dying/ changing newspaper industry, a nod to the Watergate era and the movie "All the President's Men" (a great movie title!), and a taut political drama. I actually hugged my fleece throw at a few places, it was very tense.
Recommendation: Absolutely. Our whole family watched it (two teenagers, two parents) and enjoyed it. Great movie led by stellar cast.
Read Best Reviews of State of Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) (2009) Here
A solid entertaining, mature thriller. As usual Crowe and Mirren are their absolute best. McAdams and a surprising Affleck are also good. Some good plot twists, an interesting story, exceptional acting, and witty dialogue make this a winner through and through.Want State of Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) (2009) Discount?
Loosely based on the 2003 BBC miniseries, "State of Play" had the potential for greatness. This ripped-from-the-headlines foray into D.C. political intrigue benefits from Kevin Macdonald's stylish direction and Russell Crowe's strong performance as the scruffy veteran reporter. Unfortunately, the screenplay does a ludicrous job exploring the modern-day journalistic milieu poorly represented by Rachel McAdams as a naïve young blogger who teams up with Crowe and inexplicably shares a byline on his front-page story! (One of the scriptwriters was Matthew Michael Carnahan, who penned the disastrous Robert Redford talkathon "Lions for Lambs.") The pivotal role of a scandal-plagued congressman fits within Ben Affleck's limited acting range while Helen Mirren and Jason Bateman shine in effective character parts. Despite scripting flaws and excessive length, "State of Play" manages to generate a fair amount of suspense. However, it is Crowe's presence that holds the film together.Save 47% Off
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