State of Play
Tags: suspenseful, neo noir, murder, violence

Plot synopsis:
The movie starts with a young homeless man running through the street. He runs through several stores, jumping down staircases while continuously looking over his shoulder. He eventually hides under a tunnel behind some boxes and garbage cans. As he looks out from behind the cans, he is shot in the head and the spine by a man (Michael Berresse) carrying a silver briefcase. As he begins to walk away, a pizza deliveryman cycles by and sees the dead homeless man and the gun in the assassins hand. As he tries to get away, the assassin shoots him twice. As hes about to finish the job, a group of people come out of a nearby restaurant. The assassin turns and runs away before the bodies are noticed.The next morning, Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), a writer for the Washington Globe, is driving to the scene of the crime. He bribes the detective, Donald Bell, (Harry Lennix) with coffee and convinces Bell to share some information with him anonymously. The police believe the incident was drug related and that the pizza delivery guy was just collateral damage. Bell also tells Cal that the deliveryman is in a coma, but not dead. As Cal and Bell talk, a girl is seen watching them from above the tunnel.The next scene shows Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer), an aide to Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), getting ready to go to work. She leaves her house and goes to the train station. As she is waiting in a crowd to get on the train, she falls onto the tracks and is killed. As Congressman Collins arrives late for work, he is told of Sonia's death right before his Committee Hearing with military contractor Point Corp. He begins the hearing by announcing Sonia's death (she was lead researcher on Collins investigation) and starts to breakdown in front of the cameras. This causes a media firestorm since Collins is married and leads to speculation that he was having an affair with Baker.Cal is working on the shooting when Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), pays him a visit requesting dirt on Collins for her Washington Globe blog since she heard that Cal and Collins were roommates in college and fairly close. After Cal insults her work and professionalism, Frye walks away. Cal is called into the chief editors office on Dellas behalf. The Editor, Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren), asks Cal to provide Della with information on Collins, which Cal flat out refuses.That night, Cal is writing an article on the shooting when Collins turns up at his apartment. The two talk for a bit and Collins tells Cal that his wife isnt talking to him, reporters are camped outside his house and that he has nowhere else to go. Cal tells Collins that in order to preserve his image he will need to immediately call Sonia's family and offer his condolences since the press at large believes that Sonia killed herself when Collins refused to leave his wife. Collins then shows Cal a video sent to him from Sonia that morning in which she made tentative plans for that weekend. Cal, realizing the significance of the video, tells Collins that the video alone can prove that it was not a suicide and save Collins career. He tells Collins that he should use Sonia's accidental death to exploit the lack of safety of the public transport system. Collins, however, suggests that Sonia may have been murdered.Cal calls Della at 3 AM and tells her to meet with one of his police contacts in order to see the footage from the train station. Reluctantly, Della agrees to meet the contact and see the footage. She finds nothing because Sonia was in a blind spot and there was no recording of her on the platform before she fell.Cal continues following up the shooting. He goes to the morgue to see the body of the homeless man. The coroner lets him in and while they talk, Cal copies all the numbers from the mans cell phone. Just before he leaves he buys a soda from a vending machine and as he turns around, he sees the girl from the tunnel. She makes him buy her a soda too, which he does, and he leaves. Once in his car driving down the road, he begins dialing all the numbers. After reaching a drug dealer, a disabled number and a voicemail, Cal ends up reaching the voicemail of Sonia Baker!Cal interrupts Della's meeting in order to see if Della found a link between Sonia and drugs. Della is upset that Cal would seek to ruin whats left of Bakers reputation. Cal becomes suspicious of a deeper connection. He goes out to get lunch when his bag is stolen. He runs outside to look for it and sees across the street the homeless girl from the tunnel holding it. She offers to tell him what was in the last bag the dead man had stolen before he was killed.She takes Cal to an underground sewer maintenance and shows him the contents from the metal case the homeless man stole. She explains that they would steal businessmens bags and sell them back for a price. The girl tells him that the case had a gun with weird bullets and a bunch of photographs of Sonia. She used the mans phone to call Sonia but she didnt pick up. Despite the girls objections, the homeless man agreed to meet with the assassin to sell back the bag. But he killed him and took the case, without knowing the photos were missing.Cal gives her 500 dollars and takes the photos back to his editor. He, Della and Cameron talk to the legal advisor of the paper who tells them that they can hold onto the photos for 48 hours max before the police can take them away from the paper. Cameron wants to have Cal work on the case with a more experienced political reporter, but Cal is firm in having Della help him out. Cameron is angry that Cal isnt giving her a scoop on Congressman Collins and tosses him a newspaper with an article on Collins character, which shows him with his military friends from his army days. Cal tells Della to go and visit the pizza deliveryman in the hospital since he seems to be coming to and may have information. While Della goes to visit the deliveryman, Cal goes and has a drink with Collins' wife, Ann (Robin Wright Penn).Della arrives at the hospital and passes a man in the hall (the assassin). She makes her way into the deliveryman's room but is shouted at she is not allowed to be there by nurses. When the cop watching starts to take her out of the room, bullets are fired into the room from the opposite building. The deliveryman is killed and the cop is injured. Della is left staring at a pool of blood in shock. This confirms Cals offhanded theory that a professional was hired to take care of Sophie Baker.Cal gets Dellas call and rushes to the hospital. He comforts her and makes sure shes all right before taking her back to the paper. At the paper, Cameron (Cam) and the others call Detective Bell and hand over the photos. Bell and his attorneys are angry that Cal didnt immediately contact them about the photos and tells them that the deliverymans death is on their hands. Cal presents his theory that Point Corp was behind the murder of Sonia Baker, but Bell shakes off the notion as nothing more than a conspiracy theory fit for a television show (joke reference to Lennixs role on '24').Cal and Della are now convinced that Point Corp was behind the deaths of Sonia Baker, the homeless man, and the deliveryman. Della reviews the security footage from the train station and sees the assassin in the crowd. Cal and Della start digging into Point Corp and Sonia's personal history respectively. They discover that Point Corp had created a series of fronts so that they could buy up domestic security contracts. Cal meets with a Point Corp contact who tells him that the assassin worked for an old military contractor. The contact gives Cal the address and Cal sets out to find some answers.Cal arrives at the old contractors building and knocks on the door of the apartment. The apartment door is open due to a sock propped in the corner. As he is about to enter, the assassin arrives carrying a laundry basket. Cal recognizes him and begins making small talk in order to distract the assassin. Once the assassin goes into the room, Cal runs and calls the police. He makes his way to the lobby. As he prepares to go outside, he sees a figure of a person walk toward the enclosure and pass behind a pillar. When it doesnt reappear, Cal takes a side door and enters the complexs garage. The assassin begins looking for him in the garage. After successfully avoiding him, a group of people enter the garage and get in their car. Cal realizes that the assassin knows where he is. When the people drive their car toward Cals hiding spot, Cal jumps onto the car and narrowly avoids being shot. The assassin is about to shoot at Cal again, when Cal throws himself behind another car. The police arrive and the assassin escapes out of a side door.Detective Bell is furious that Cal went after the assassin. Cal assures him that it was purely a coincidence and that he had been chasing a lead. Bell is skeptical. Bell tells Cal that the homeless girl who gave him the photos turned up dead that morning.Della tells Cal that she tracked down Sonia Bakers old roommate who tells her that Sonia and the roommate had a threesome with Congressman Collins and that Sonia had a very large debt, which Collins paid. Cal disregards this theory as bull and goes back to the photos. Cal tells Della to identify a man in one of the photos of Sonia before calling it a night. When he arrives home, he sees Ann Collins sitting on his doorstep. They talk for a bit. It is revealed that Cal & Ann had been lovers but Ann married Collins because Cal wouldnt step up. Cal asks if Collins could have acquired a large amount of money without Ann knowing. She becomes upset after realizing that she is nothing more than a source and walks away. Before she walks out, she tells him that Collins could not get that much money without her knowing since they had two mortgages and spend everything they make paying it off.Della tells Cal that the man who was in the photo is Dominic Foye (Jason Bateman), a PR rep for Point Corp. Cal meets with Collins to ask him about Sonia's history and about what he and Sonia found out about Point Corp. Collins reveals that their investigation into Point Corp indicated that Point Corp was using dummy corporations to bypass monopoly laws and buy up all the available domestic defense contracts offered by the government. He makes it explicitly clear that if Cal can prove the tie between Point Corp and Media Corp (the largest of the dummy corporations), Collins will go on the record about the ties and blow the conspiracy wide open.Cal and Della arrange to have Foye talk about his connection to Point Corp on record and tell them everything about Sonia Baker. After successfully scaring Foye into thinking he is surrounded by Point Corp associates, Cal takes him to an out of town motel. There he negotiates with Foye and convinces him to go on record. He tells Cal that Point Corp needed a girl for one of their business deals and Sonia was the first person that came to his mind. She was in debt, so Point Corp agreed to pay her 26,000 dollars a month to spy on Congressman Collins. Cal calls Collins and asks him who recommended Sonia. He then tells Collins to meet him at the motel.When Collins shows up, he tells Cal that Congressman Fergus (Jeff Daniels) recommended Sonia to him because Sonia was the daughter of an old family friend. Cal shows Collins the recording of Foye and specifically shows him the part about Point Corp. However, Cal lets the tape run further than intended and Collins finds out that Sonia was pregnant with his baby when she died and that she had stopped spying on Collins after she fell in love with him. This revelation sends Collins over the edge and he goes into the next room and proceeds to beat Foye half to death. Cal separates the two and Collins proceeds to mock Cal and leaves.Cal goes to meet with Fergus and he doesn't confirm anything but when Cal asks for Sonia's mothers name, Fergus doesn't answer. As Fergus walks away, Cal tells him that he's running the story with a link between Fergus and Point Corp as a means of undermining Congressman Collins' investigation. He then tells Fergus that Sonia's mothers name is Janine.Cal goes and writes a tentative article but Cameron refuse to print it because of the lack of credible sources. As Cam and Cal argue over whether or not they should go to print, Collins walks in with his wife. He goes on the record and tells them everything he found out during his investigation, his relationship with Sonia and his theory that Point Corp is responsible for everything. When hes done, Ann and Cal talk. She tells Cal that she forgave Collins because Sonia was paid to sleep with him for 26,000 dollars a month. Cal and Della start to write their articles. Meanwhile, the assassin is shown dressing up in military gear and arming a rifle.Cal goes to Della and the two share a drink of whiskey. He presents her with a necklace of pens, however as he begins to talk about his past with Ann, he realizes that she knew a piece of information he hadn't shared with Collins. Collins was never shown the portion of the tape which said Sonia was being paid 26,000 dollars a month. Cal tells Della to hold the front page as he looks at the newspaper Cam tossed to him earlier which showed Collins with his military unit. The assassin is in the photo and his name is revealed to be Robert Bingham.Cal confronts Collins in his office. Cal asks about Robert Bingham, and Collins tells Cal that Bingham was someone whose life he saved from his army days. Collins hired Bingham to follow Sonia around because, during the affair, he suspected something was off. When he found out she was working for Point Corp, Bingham became upset because he felt that Point Corps mercenaries were a disgrace to the officers of the U.S. military. Collins claimed that he tried to tell Cal the truth, but Cal calls Collins on his lie. He leaves after telling Collins that he already called the police.Cal walks toward his car and he is confronted by Bingham cocking his gun. He tells Bingham that regardless of the outcome, Congressman Collins has been exposed. Bingham prepares to fire his weapon as Detective Bell and his officers arrive. As Bingham fires, Cal dives out of the way and a hail of bullets take out Bingham.Cal returns to the Globe, 4 hours after the front page was due. He types up an article exposing Collins and signs it written by Della Frye and Cal McAffrey. He leaves his desk and walks out, letting Della click send for the copy room. She catches up to Cal on his way out and a 'Sent message' appears on the screen of the computer and the movie ends with the credits rollings while the article is printing and being shipped out in the background.

Review: Because journalism is so crucial to the story of State of Play, every minute detail contributes greatly to the believability of the film as a whole and it is this attention to detail that really elevates State of Play above the average political thriller.The cast, which includes three Oscar winners, though Ben Affleck won for screen writing, could not be more perfect.
A gruff old-school reporter (Russell Crowe playing his A-game) becomes personally entangled in a breaking news story surrounding his old college buddy turned congressman (Ben Affleck, not as bad as you would think) and a young female aid who died under mysterious circumstances in the surprisingly plausible political thriller "State of Play" from director Kevin MacDonald who was previously responsible for "The Last King of Scotland".
"State of Play" isn't perfect and the number of plot points that need to come together veritably dictate some implausibility at the end but if you compare this film to any five suspense-thrillers (at least Hollywood-made) that have come out in the past five years, you have to appreciate the whole package: Acting (and I disagree with the Ben Affleck naysayers here, he acquitted himself very well), character acting (Viola Thomas, Jason Batemen and Harry Lennix compete equally with a fraction of the time of the major players), interesting and gripping plot and story development, and overall believability all make this a first-rate film and one all involved should be proud of.
It is like trying to unring a bell.The new film, State of Play, is a convincing thriller, but it fails to also deliver as a richly defined character drama.Curiosity will drive those who saw the BBC series to see this film, and the rich pedigree of the film production will draw in those who know nothing about the original miniseries.
The plot unfolds, relationships falter and the real truth, to our pleasant surprise, blindsides us like a drunk driver on a narrow road.Director Kevin Macdonald clearly knows what he's doing here and along with a well written screenplay by Tony Gilroy, carefully crafts a neat, sharp and extremely entertaining thrill ride of a movie whose run time is 2 hours and 15 minutes, but feels like 30.
It isn't the next Best Picture and Crowe won't take home an Oscar, but you'll enjoy some nail biting action scenes and there are much worse things to look at than Rachel McAdams on the big screen for a few hours.Helen Mirren is delightful in what little screen time she is given.
Crowe's and McAdams' characters brilliantly investigate a deadly situation tainted with national intrigue that includes the young yet powerfully influential Stephen Collins played by Ben Affleck.I was on the edge of my seat most of the time, thrilled with this actual adventure in the city without any fear of cartoons or ray guns spoiling the appearance of authenticity.
As slick a production as it was, and with acceptable acting from actor, it was many of the characters here that seemed more like Hollywood stereotypes than real-life people.There was Crowe with the hippie looks from 30-40 years ago and who has the daring of James Bond; the Washington newspaper editor being a foul-mouthed Brit (crusty Helen Mirren) who uses profane expresses the Americans wouldn't know; the neophyte blogster (Rachel McAdams) being drop-dead gorgeous and getting her way despite tough bosses; the bad guys being anyone connected with the military (man, is that getting old, from Dr. Strangelove to today's films - it never changes), the professional sniper/assassin conveniently missing the good guy (Crowe) although he could kill anyone else......you get the picture - a few too many liberal film clichés.
A powerhouse cast, that doesn't disappoint: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, and Jeff Daniels WOW!
It isn't just some formulaic story with mindless twists and turns, it's actually saying something about the world today that is very relevant, which not only makes a great thriller, but a great film as well.I've read some complaints about the ending, but I don't understand what the big deal was.
The whole film stinks of red herring - or more accurately, dead herring.Meanwhile, clichés abound, unrelieved by any new insight or point of view.As for the visual jokes in the background - like the poster of the blonde seen through a window with a ketchup stain so she looks shot through the head, or the fact that the Crowe character is dressed to remind us of the detective he played in American Gangster, while the black detective is as dapper as the Denzel Washington character in that much better film - oh, please - these were just annoying and pointless.Finally, in a film that should have been about the lack of accountability that plagues both our political system and our media, the final notice of the film is the film-makers' own denial of responsibility, an unwillingness to take a final stand on any of the issues it presents.A truly cowardly and depressing piece of film..
He plays Cal McAffrey, a reporter for the Washington Post, whose friend, senator Ben Affleck (no, really!) finds himself in the middle of a media frenzy when a pretty young aide he's been having an affair with falls in front of a train.The girl's death is the start of an involved plot that serves up a fresh twist every fifteen minutes or so.
The irascible editor isn't played by a cigar-chewing middle-aged curmudgeon but comes in the slinky form of Helen Mirren, who continues to withstand the rigours of time with admirable fortitude.For all it's twists and turns the plot is mostly formulaic, but it's professionally put together so that you forget at times you're watching the kind of political thriller you've seen many times before.
A remake of a British mini-series seems like a doubtful proposition,starting by the arrogant narrative decision of extirpating the story off London,to set it in Washington.What is more,the cast of solid character actors from the mini-series have been replaced by Hollywood stars who will undoubtedly attract more spectators,but at the same time,steal the atmosphere of anonymous intrigue.Having said that,I have to admit that the six hours from the mini-series were a little bit tiring to me,specially when the story turns its attention to the personal lives from the people who were involved on the political scandal.So,I had some hope that a certain grade of condensation in the story would result on a more interesting movie,with a better rhythm and enough deepness.In the film State of Play,co-screenwriters Tony Gilroy,Matthew Michael Carnahan and Billy Ray condensed the story,although they made it to loose some honesty and deepness.But now,I will stop comparing this movie to the original mini-series,and I will evaluate it by its own merits.And also using that judgment,I found State of Play to be a mediocre movie.On some aspects,this film tries to emulate the atmosphere from All the President's Men,with its combination of political intrigue and conflicts of conscience between reporters who have good intentions,but who have a doubtful ethic on their methods.I also detected some small tributes to the extraordinary JFK.However,the biggest influence from this movie is on the recent wave of similar political thrillers which denounce some aspects of the terrorism on the Middle East,or the war for the oil.But,in spite of its good intention,State of Play suffers from anachronism.It is true that the subjects which are examined on this movie will keep being relevant for years (maybe decades)...but they were more interesting to the general spectator five or six years ago (like when the original mini-series was released).Nowadays,with more urgent preoccupations in the global conscience,the lies from a North American company are less relevant than the virus which are floating on the air or the labour insecurity occasioned by the worldwide economical collapse.Movies should start to define new villains who are more appropriate for the worldwide situation (like in the movie The International),because if not,it will be difficult to wake up the spectator's imagination with tiring comments about a war whose revocation has expired,not on the real life,but on the short attention from the public opinion.It may not be fair to evaluate a movie for the historical context which rounds it,but I mentioned it because that was my perception when I was watching it.On the screenplay from this film,there are various elements which feel very forced.On State of Play,there are not any bad performances; everybody has an adequate development on their roles.But,I could not find passion on any of the actors...the only thing I saw on them was technique.I think that happened because director Kevin MacDonald's work lacks of energy and enthusiasm.I also feel this movie should have had more suspense,instead of a warm parade of scenes and situations which are connected by an old narrative formula (brave reporters looking for the truth),and not by the stimulating discovery of hidden connexions and scandalous secrets.In summary,there are too many coincidences,too many characters with a doubtful narrative value and too many redundant scenes which repeat what we already know...I think all this is a consequence to the previously mentioned condensation of the series.Instead of all my complains,I did not dislike State of Play.I cannot deny it kept me moderately entertained and that,near the ending,the film generates a good level of tension.But,the final experience I had with this movie was mediocre and completely forgettable.I think I can give a slight recommendation to this movie for the fact that it is not boring..
This was a bit of a surprise hit for me as I'm not usually one for the political thrillers or Russell Crow but the well thought out, slowly unravelling (and clever) story hooked me.Lots of twists I didn't see coming as a Washington D.C congressman (Affleck) and a reporter (Crowe) become locked on a dangerous collision course when the journalist starts investigating a case involving the murder of a congressional aide and his old college friend.
While it was good in places, the overall film does not live the director's last film due to several reasons.State of Play has a strong cast that includes Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, both of whom are really good but the script doesn't always allow for them to really shine.
It astounds me how "Hollywood" can take a pre existing meaningful relevant and interesting story, spend the money behind it to hire russell crowe, affleck and helen mirren, and then BUTCHER IT like this film adaptation has done!
The acting was well done for the most part, but some elements of the story didn't line up (16 y/o junkie tracks down reporter working on a story he hasn't published anything for yet?) Maybe I missed something.But in any case this story isn't particularly great, or anything more than predictable, but there are worse ways to spend your time and if you like thrillers you will probably enjoy State of Play.6 out of 10.
Director, cast, plot and script all work together to make a picture which sustains tension right up until the surprise ending, which you won't see coming.A cub reporter (McAdams)tags along with a veteran reporter (Crowe) to uncover the story behind the mysterious death of a Congressman's (Affleck) mistress.
They also give the cast plenty to chew on with some great throw-away lines amidst all the posturing between the cops, reporters, politicians and sleaze-bags.Though it's Crowe and Helen Mirren as his sparring and quick-witted boss who shine the most, this is essentially an ensemble piece, and it's especially clever when Jason Bateman arrives on screen for a few pivotal scenes as a smug public relations guru who's too dumb to realize he knows too much.
They also give the cast plenty to chew on with some great throw-away lines amidst all the posturing between the cops, reporters, politicians and sleaze-bags.Though it's Crowe and Helen Mirren as his sparring and quick-witted boss who shine the most, this is essentially an ensemble piece, and it's especially clever when Jason Bateman arrives on screen for a few pivotal scenes as a smug public relations guru who's too dumb to realize he knows too much.
The only miscalculation in the casting is poor Rachel McAdams, lovely but annoying in her high-pitch as Crowe's blogging tag-along looking to kick it old-school and get something in print.By the third act "State of Play" overplays its hand in its attempts to be timely with too much talk of the privatization of the military, Capitol Hill sex scandals and traditional newspapers losing out in the digital age to bloggers more concerned with gossip than real journalism.
The only miscalculation in the casting is poor Rachel McAdams, lovely but annoying in her high-pitch as Crowe's blogging tag-along looking to kick it old-school and get something in print.By the third act "State of Play" overplays its hand in its attempts to be timely with too much talk of the privatization of the military, Capitol Hill sex scandals and traditional newspapers losing out in the digital age to bloggers more concerned with gossip than real journalism.
Russell Crowe, far too fat and grungy for a healthy actor, is the reporter bent on finding the truth, Helen Mirren is the desperately driven editor at the threat of losing her job for lack of Inquirer-like stories to sell her paper, Rachel McAdams is the bright young but inexperienced reporter who learns the game from Crowe, Crowe's best friend Ben Affleck is the Congressman at the center of the latest governmental mess, Robin Wright Penn is Affleck's wife and Crowe's lover, and the plot twists and turns on the murder of an aide to Affleck who is not what she seemed to be.
as political thrillers go,this one is one of the better ones.it's a real thinking person's movie.it can be a bit serpentine,so you have to pay attention,and they do tie everything up nicely at the end.there's some terrific acting here.Russel Crowe and Rachel McAdams headline.and both are brilliant as always.but Ben Affleck really surprised in a substantial meaty role.he was very convincing.and let's not forget Helen Mirren,who always lends class to whatever project she is in.Jeff Daniels is also good in a smaller role and the supporting cast also shines.Robin Wright Penn stands out.and see if you can spot Jason Bateman who disappears into his character to the point that i didn't recognize him.i didn't even realize he was in the film until the end credits showed his name.anyway...if you're willing to be challenged and have a bit of patience,this may be your movie.for me,State of Play is an 8/10.
And I think the director understood how important acting was to carry the story lines thru this film.Yes, there is suspense, yes there is some action, but any good mystery requires actors who make you believe in the mystery.My only criticism is the ending flipped some new twists out of no where about 3 times.
This movie is worth seeing just to watch great actors like Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, & Rachel McAdams practice their craft.
Add in a very good plot and a well written script and what you end up with is an excellent movie.I'd read that Brad Pitt was originally supposed to have the starring role of the veteran newspaper reporter played by Crowe but declined the role at the last minute due to artistic differences with the Director over the script.
An all-star cast comprised of Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, and the criminally underrated Jeff Daniels work together with less experienced thespians such as Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck and Arrested Development's Jason Bateman, all under the confident guidance of Scotland's cinematic pride Kevin Macdonald, whose "The Last King of Scotland" gets defined by Forest Whitaker tour-de-force acting but never on it's own merits, unfortunately.The title "State of Play" is defined as "the current political situation", what's the status of the players in the political field at this very moment.
Luckily for him,he's got one ace in the hole:that being gruff,no-nonsense,old school investigative reporter Cal McCaffrey(gruff,tough,charismatic and competent Russell Crowe,as good as ever),who was a college roommate and longtime friend of the senator's,who immediately uses his knowledge of the system,not only to counsel the senator in how to handle the story(which threatens to unhinge,among other things,his pet project of a congressional investigation of a sort of Blackwater-type mercenary,security-for-hire business)but also to investigate the death,officially ruled as a suicide.What Cal and a perky,more-game-than-she-thought newspaper blogger named Della Frye(Rachel McAdams,also very much looking the part,quite beautifully,I must say),uncover as they dig into the story unfolds a peeling onion of connections and a trail of bodies that threatens anyone and everyone that's connecting with the senator,including Cal himself(no surprise there,of course).Director Kevin McDonald,following up his very intense and intelligent Last King of Scotland,is able to(with the help of writers such as Billy Ray)to boil down what was a popular BBC miniseries into a taut,adventurous and MOSTLY well-plotted two-plus hour film.
In a bid to quash the political blogging of junior reporter Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), McAffrey sets out to find the truth about the story.State of Play sets itself up early on to be a cookie-cutter, predictable thriller.
In a bid to quash the political blogging of junior reporter Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), McAffrey sets out to find the truth about the story.State of Play sets itself up early on to be a cookie-cutter, predictable thriller.
There are some high-profile actors in this movie like Ben Affleck, Hellen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, and Russell Crowe.
STATE OF PLAY, the film from director Kevin McDonald (LAST KING OF Scotland, TOUCHING THE VOID) and screenwriter Tony Gilroy (BOURNE trilogy, DUPLICITY), successfully incorporates the high points from the successful BBC miniseries of the same name but does something the series could not, which is the incorporation of the near-irrelevance of print media into a much-better-than-standard conspiracy thriller.In the film, seasoned newspaper writer Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) is led into story involving assassins, military contractors, a U.S. Congressman (Ben Affleck), his wife (Robin Wright Penn), an affair and even a few murders, just for emphasis.