State of Play is a highly intelligent political thriller that manages to offer some interesting insights and debates into the roles of government, political corruption, powerful corporations, and the dying art of journalism and the newspaper print medium. Kevin McDonald directs an ensemble cast that performs to top honors. Led by Russell Crowe as the an old school journalist who still values cultivating sources, confirming his facts and always having a handy pen and notebook. He refuses to acknowledge the sinking ship that is the print newspaper or the bloggers that will eventually take over his job, as he would say that there are still some things that deserve to be printed in newstype.
Lending great supporting hands are Ben Affleck as a smooth talking senator involved in an affair and possibly a murder who happens to be Crowe's ex-college roommate, Helen Mirren as the newspaper editor torn between her allegiance to journalism and her writers and the new owners who value making a profit, and Jason Bateman who shines in his small role as an arrogant public relations agent who might hold enough information to break the case. The one mundane spot comes surprisingly from Rachel McAdams as the newspaper's blogger journalist who gets a crash course in "real" journalism from Crowe's character as he brings her in to help with his investigation into a story of conspiracy proportions. McAdams is fine in the role but seems very complacent as she never expresses the evolution of her character.
The action opens with a double homicide, an apparent suicide by a senatorial aide, a briefcase full of incremenating photographs, and a government investigation into a power grabbing corporation. All of these stories appear to be unrelated but Cal McAffrey (Crowe) thinks otherwise, and is determined to break the biggest conspiracy story in history. As the story starts to unravel and the stakes grow in severity, McAffrey is forced to take a gut check on his determination to follow the facts where they lead regardless of potential legal consequences, threats to his life, and the possibility of incriminating friends.
State of Play asks some tough questions and probes some dark corners that draw on very similar lines to current events (whether you want to make those connections is up to you), but smartly refrains from becoming a political commentary and focuses on being a very entertaining thriller. It did however contain one fatal flaw that resulted in it not being my favorite movie of the year... the ending is unbelievably disappointing. Imagine going to a great fireworks show and then learning that they forgot to save any fireworks for the finale, and you have a pretty good idea how this movie closes. The fact that the ending is so unsatisfying negates all the good feelings it has built up in the first hour and forty minutes, and ultimately ruined my overall view of an otherwise brilliant film. Advice- Watch the first hour and forty minutes, and then turn it off and use your imagination to come up with the ending... I promise it will be better than what the movie itself had to offer.
My Rating- (B)
