State of Play

Starring: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jeff Bridges, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A journalist (Russell Crowe) investigating a murder soon sees a connection between the murder and the accidental death of a Congressman's (Ben Affleck) aid, with whom he was having an affair. He works with a colleague (Rachel McAdams) and his editor (Helen Mirren) to investigate the connection between the two, which unravels a massive conspiracy which he risks his life to uncover.

Review:

Tim: State of Play represents an increasingly rare type of film in Hollywood- an intelligent, engaging, adult movie about real issues that causes you to think if you want to keep up with the plot. For this reason, I was pretty high on this movie. It helps that it has a very impressive cast and is an entertaining movie as well. I really like political thrillers, and this one is a very good example of that subgenre.

I want to start with the cast. Russell Crowe is quite good in the lead role, although his hair style is disastrous. Still, Crowe has a knack for appearing in very good movies, and this is another one on his impressive resume. Crowe adds a good deal to this movie. I also liked the casting of Ben Affleck as the embattled Congressman. Affleck has the chemistry and a bit of the sleaziness to pull off the politican role. It was a bit of unlikely casting, but it was the right choice. I enjoyed the scenes where Crowe and Affleck had the opportunity to interact. Rachel McAdams was also a very good casting choice. I think she works well in these smaller, supporting roles, in addition to being able to carry a movie herself. She helps this movie with her presence. Helen Mirren doesn't have a great deal to do, but she adds even more credibility to the already impressive cast. She has a few very good moments. We also get small performances from Jeff Bridges, Robin Wright Penn, and Jason Bateman, which is just excellent. The cast here is just so impressive, I loved it.

This is an intelligent movie about some controversial, exciting topics. Director Kevin Macdonald doesn't talk down to the audience or simplify the story. This is a complicated, twisting, occasionally confusing story that requires the audience to stay engaged. I really enjoyed the mental challenge this film presented if you wanted to completely understand what was going on at any given point. The film has a number of really compelling mysteries, which propel the film forward- we truly want to know the truth, so we're engaged and interested as our protagonists fight to uncover that truth. In many ways, this film has so many elements that we just love in films- a small underdog taking on a big corporation, political corruption, assassins, the freedom of the press, and more. This is a very good movie.

State of Play is a movie geared towards thinking adults, and I appreciated the class and the prestige surrounding this movie. It certainly could have been a little more suspenseful, but that only hurts this movie to a small extent. I was entertained and engaged throughout this movie, and I really enjoyed watching it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Vantage Point, Charlie Wilson's War, Enemy of the State, Body of Lies, The Insider