A destitute man dies in a dark, secluded alleyway in the north western area of Washigton DC. Many miles away, a gorgeous young woman is killed beneath the wheels of a fast moving train. Are these two tragedies unrelated or are they fragments of a huge conspiracy involving the highest ranking government officials?
Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is an astute Congressman. He is good looking, charismatic and the star of his party. They see him as the unchallenged future of the party. But when he confesses to having an affair with his research assistant who has died under problematic circumstances his political destiny is questioned.
Cal MacAffrey (Russell Crowe), a veteran reporter for the Washington Globe, known for his down to earth and practical reporting style, begins to look into the shooting of a homeless bag snatcher and realises that there is more to his death than meets the eye. When the man's death becomes finally linked to the Congressman's mistress, Cal concludes that there is a lot more going on than he initially thought.
Cal and Congressman Collins go back a long way. They were best friends at college and shared a room together. Cal tries very hard to be his friend but doesn't always succeed. He pays no attention to the clear conflict of interest and recruits a novice to assist him; a keen blogger called Della Frye (Rachel McAdams). Together, with their belligerent editor ( Helen Mirren) watching fearlessly over them, the two bold reporters begin investigating the story, often putting their own lives in danger in the process. As they dig down deep they uncover some pretty dirty things that they were never meant to see.
Without understanding the consequences of their actions, Cal and Della come across a gigantic concealment connecting a defence sub-division agreement worth a fortune - billions of dollars, in fact. And when such a fortune is at stake, there isn't anything some folks won't do to keep it safe.
Kevin McDonald (director of Last King of Scotland) has manufactured a tense, complicated, heart-beating political thriller. In lots of ways it reminds me of the classic films like Pakula's, All the Presidents Men, which is surprising as the film is a shortened version of the British mini series which deals with English Parliament and the legendary Fleet Street.
Screenwriters, Matthew Michael Carnaham (Lion for the Lambs) and Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Trilogy, Michael Clayton) have done an excellent job on condensing the adaptation and making it plausible. The narrative is a little convoluted but without being unnecessarily baffling. At one point in the film I stopped trying to work it out and just went with the flow. I let the film solve the mystery at its own pace. As each layer of the story is removed the intricacy grows and I found myself looking for the next twist right up to the end of the film.
You could say that this is perhaps two films working as one. In the first, dogged reporters examine a murder cover-up, and in the second, the very same reporters are the story, part of a once great industry which is slowly coming to an end.
The government isn't the only organisation being taken over by dominating private interests. Cal and Della's newspaper - The Washington Globe (based loosely on the Washington Post) has just been bought by a huge media corporation more interested in sex and sleaze than true journalism. The dragon of an editor played by Helen Mirren is obviously under pressure to put out a story before it has even developed into an idea. Here, the film illustrates the dying days of the newspaper industry and while the film implies that good, old, traditional investigative work (partnered with old fashioned reporters and trendy bloggers) works, we get the impression that the glory days are over.
The casting of State of Play is fantastic. Every time a scene changes we are treated to another well known face.
Russell Crowe is superb as Cal and he is beginning to grow on me - so much that I even tuned into U Tube and watched an interview with him on Parkinson. He is quite rebellious in real life and I like that. I am always amused by the amount of weight he can put on for movies and how long is hair grows. His gut is pretty big in this film and his hair is a bit of a mess as well. He looks a total sleaze ball but loveable. You could also say that this is a stereotypical role - the scraggy looking reporter who discovers a political cover-up. Still - stereotype or not - he plays it well.
Ben Affleck - another stereotypical role - the good looking, well connected politician who puts a damper on his career because of an illicit affair. How many times have we seen that? Excellent acting fom him too.
Helen Mirren - I think she just plays her usual self - grouchy and dominant. Nothing new here. I don't actually rate this lady although she was good in The Queen - well she looked like her at least. Her performance in State of Play is good but not outstanding.
Rachel McAdams is good as the cute looking rookie, looking for a career break and Robin Wright Penn is believable as the wife who has been dumped by our charismatic Congressman.
Cinematography time - yes, it is very good but not too flashy. We do see Washington's landmarks but none of those fleeting aerial shots that weave past the National Mall and end up on top of the Capitol building. The cinematography is unobtrusive. The iconic buildings are there but its as if you live in the city and everyday you walk past them but don't really see them. We see the dirty alleyways as well as the famous monuments. McDonald has also filmed, using some uncomplimentary angles showing Washington DC drenched in rain - the kind of rain that soaks and makes you feel uncomfortable.
To summarise - State of Play is a good film but it isn't brilliant. It is quite long at just over 2 hours and I did wonder if the pacing of the film had been better the plot might have been easier to understand. The conclusion, I found disappointing even though it was exciting. If I am honest, I found it a bit of an anti-climax. While state of Play is entertaining and the acting is excellent, I felt towards the end everything was rushed and nothing was really solved. The last section of the film didn't have the same forcefulness and grace of the first half of the film.
Although the film doesn't work all the time it is very engaging. Even as it portrays a world that has become old-fashioned and outdated by the rapid growth of mass media technology, the film retains a tangible substance and pertinency.
I found it very entertaining to watch how the two reporters were so determined to find the real truth. They were like two terriers digging away to find their bones and not coming up for air until the job had been done.
I am awarding the film 3 stars because I think the pacing could have been a bit better and I did find the conclusion a little disappointing. I saw this at the cinema which for me is the best medium. There is no way I would buy or rent this film as I would never watch it twice. If it's on at your local cinema go and see it even if its just to see Russell Crowe's weight gain.
Summary: A pretty good political thriller but not brilliant