State of Play – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Aug 31, 2009, 18:01 GMT

Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast, including Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams & Helen Mirren in the blistering thriller about deception, manipulation and corruption. When D.C. Reporter Cal McCaffrey (Crowe) is assigned to investigate the murder of an assistant to an up-and-coming politician (Affleck), he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to bring down the nation’s power structures. In a town of spin-doctors and wealthy power brokers, he will discover ...more

“Got a pen?”

Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck are up to their necks in Washington politics.  Crowe on the journalistic end and Affleck on the governmental end. 

When the congressman's lead researcher dies during the investigation of a mysterious organization, Crowe begins to uncover a conspiracy.

One night a thief named Deshaun Stagg (LaDell Preston) is on the run from an unseen pursuer.  He’s hiding when a mysterious man (Michael Berresse) shoots him dead.  The murder is witnessed by pizza deliveryman Vernon Sando (Dan Brown).  The assassin also shoots him but is interrupted before he can deliver the coup de grace and Sando ends up in a coma. 

The next day, congressional researcher Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer) is waiting for the DC Metro when she apparently commits suicide by jumping in front of the subway.  Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is beginning his hearings into PointCorp, a private defense contractor, when he gets the news that Baker has been killed.

Washington Globe reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) sees his friend Collins reacting to the news that Baker has been killed.  The paper is in transition to new owners and editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) is trying to keep the paper afloat in the competitive Washington news cycle. 

Della Frye (Rachael McAdams) is one of the new additions to the Globe and the blogger and Cal don’t seem to get along.  Collins shows up on Cal’s doorstep because his wife Anne (Robin Wright Penn) has kicked him out of the house when she finds out about his affair with Baker. 

Collins doubts that Baker committed suicide since she sent him a video email saying she was looking forward to their weekend together.  Cal begins to suspect that something from the mysterious PointCorp is afoot, but he will uncover a conspiracy that will shake him to his core.  

State of Play is based on the British miniseries of the same name.  It was concerning that a six hour; multi-character British miniseries would be distilled down to a two hour American film - especially when you have a larger canvas on television.  However, the film creates a thrilling ride in the mold of All the President’s Men. 

All the President’s Men might be the beginning of the newspapermen uncovering conspiracies genre, but State of Play probably shows the way the newspaper industry has changed over the years.  Cal is the senior reporter but the new kids on the block in Internet reporting are the ones that are getting all the publicity and funds. 

There’s at first uneasy alliance between the experienced reporter and the youthful upstart who threatens to take his place.  Scandal in Washington isn’t exactly a new occurrence, but State of Play does offer some interesting twists and turns in addition to taking plot points out of today’s headlines. 

PointCorp bears a purposeful similarity to Halliburton.  Crowe wears the guise of an experienced reporter well and McAdams is also good in the inexperienced upstart role.  The two worlds don’t mesh at first but each has to form a begrudging admiration for each other.  Helen Mirren steps into her abrasive role with gusto to try and corral and control her two reporters. 

The weak link might be Affleck.  It’s hard to believe that Collins and McAffrey were college roommates.  There’s about an eight-year age difference in Affleck and Crowe, but they have tried to gray up Affleck’s temples to show age.  It doesn’t work, as he still seems too young for the role. 

His acting is decent enough, but I would’ve cast someone more Crowe’s equal.  Jason Bateman, playing against type, and Jeff Daniels also show up in bit parts and make memorable characterizations. 

State of Play has enough twists and turns to keep your attention up till the final credits role.  State of Play is a wonderful thriller that also shows what might be going on in newsrooms across the nation as the less disciplined Internet upstarts are pushing out the experienced reporters.  

State of Play is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  Special features include 3 minutes of deleted scenes and the 18-minute “Making of State of Play.”

The British version might’ve had a bigger canvas to paint on, but the American film version is one that offers plenty of thrills.  Affleck’s casting might not have been my cup of tea, but the film did overcome my problems with that to make a great film.  

State of Play is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Sept. 21st release. Visit the DVD database for more information.