Product: State Of Play (2008)
Rating: 5.0
Brilliant political thriller from UK TV
It's hard to invest six hours on a TV movie but I had no regrets after watching this accomplished story of a wayward British politician. As usual in a UK drama, people lacked the physical perfection (and general implausibility) of most American TV actors but more than made up for this with gritty, real-world characterizations. The dialogue is regional; American viewers may need captions to keep up with the dense plot, but please do that for full enjoyment. Bill Nighy ('NOTES ON A SCANDAL') gives an entertaining performance as a Ben Bradlee-type newspaper editor. David Morrissey (BASIC INSTINCT) is compelling as the tortured MP and John Simm is authentic as the world-weary journalist. Watch out for James McAvoy (ATONEMENT, KING OF SCOTLAND) in one of his early roles. Ask yourself: is this an emerging star, or what? I loved this show so much, I bought the two disc set for my mother-in-law! What more can I say?