Investigative Thriller with a Star Studded Cast

Russell Crowe plays a first rate investigative reporter for "The Washington Globe" who is a ‘good guy’ truth seeker. Rachael McAdams plays his assistant as a newbie to the reporting business and typically writes online blogs. Both are great actors and when you throw Helen Mirren into the mix as their “Editor Boss” it’s a winning combo that’s worthy of front-page headlines. The director is Kevin Macdonald from the (Last King of Scotland) fame.

The film is based on the six hour BBC mini-series of the same name. The film centers on a  team of investigative reporters who work alongside police agents to try and solve the murder of a congressman's mistress. Ben Affleck plays the young aggressive congressman and Robin Wright Penn plays his scorned wife. Jeff Daniels plays is his co-worker and a senior powerful congressman. The setting shifts between the Halls of Congress and the incredible lively and realistic newspaper offices of ‘The Globe’.

It's also a political movie; its villain is a shady corporation named PointCorp that contracts with the government for security duties and mercenaries in Iraq. The film moves at a fast pace, with lots of situations that somehow come together in the end. Sort of a connect the dots plot, if you will story-line.

The film opens with a man being shot dead in an alley as a passing bicyclist witnesses the shooting. A woman (Ben Affleck’s assistant) is shoved into a passing metro train and murdered. Other murders happen and the city of Washington D.C. is held captive as one doesn’t know when the murderer will strike again. Time is of the essence as police and newspaper reporters search for clues and check leads. Many twists and turns occur and unexpected surprises that are enjoyable elements.

“State of Play” also portrays the pressure that newspapers now face to get the story out ASAP as they are competing with computer bloggers and fast paced technology. Helen Mirren’s character enlightens viewers to the newspaper’s corporate owners and the need to have ‘the exclusive story’ on the paper’s front cover. The desire to sell newspapers has become the story in publishing these days and the issue is covered in the film.

Jason Bateman from the TV series Arrested Development and the film “Juno” plays a sleazy publicist and has a serious yet comical scene near the end of the film with Crowe and Affleck. Bateman has elevated his acting abilities and is very engaging on-screen. He basically stole the show at this point and was a comical surprise in this fast paced drama.

One storyline that was a bit difficult to believe were the scenes between Crowe and Robin Wright Penn. They were supposed to have had an affair whilst she was married to Affleck and this seemed a bit unrealistic to me, due to the contrast of the men’s personalities and career choices. I did however enjoy this film immensely. The strong cast and amazing performances are worth the view. I say See It!

Sarah Adamson © 2009