Language: English
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Cast: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Music: Alex Heffes
Reasons to watch: The element of surprise that hits you hard when you think you’ve got it all figured out.
Reasons not to watch: Unless you loathe Russell Crowe, you have every reason to watch it.
Storyline: Based on the similarly titled BBC mini-series, State of Play is a fictional thriller that instantly strikes a chord with the current times. Russell Crowe stars as Cal McCaffrey, a no-nonsense journalist employed at the Washington Globe. He puts himself on the line as he begins to investigate the death of Sonia Baker, the research assistant and love interest of his congressman friend Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck). Stephen’s political career takes a slump as the young woman’s death publicizes their affair. In order to help Stephen regain his political status, protect Stephen’s wife and to get a story up and running for the Washington Globe, Cal teams up with young inquisitive blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) to solve the murder which he later on finds out is only a small piece in a conspiracy of much larger magnitude. Both timely and timeless, State of Play is a thriller that questions the existence and genuineness of newspapers and blogs that work in a vicious 24-hour cycle. It also addresses the functioning of private military organizations for whom war means an opportunity to make money.
Climax Handling: A shade implausible with minor errors that can very well be forgiven as the rest of the movie packs a punch.
Points: Money and power – a lethal combination.
Rating:8.5/10
Smart, complex dramas constructed and performed with precision like this are too rare an offering to pass up.