“State of Play” Review

Fast-paced action and a blatant thought-provoking message characterize director Kevin Macdonald’s political thriller, State of Play.

Some might find the film’s criticism of the current state of newspapers harsh, but it also acts as a plea to fix the newspaper problem, offering a suggestion for both how to fix the problem and why it is worth fixing.

Running at just over two hours, the film Stars a round-faced Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren. Crowe plays Cal McAffrey, the glorified hero, a veteran journalist who does not blog or write flashy stories to sell papers, but always gets the real story. Della Frye (McAdams) is the newbie blogger who has to learn the traditional ways of hard-news reporting. The two work together to keep the government in check and show their editor that publishing the truth is a more important goal than getting out a quick gossipy story that will make money.

It is set in Washington D.C. and shows a glimpse of the idealized and romanticized world of big-city political journalism, a message that is contrary to the current state of major newspaper organizations.

State of Play features convincing acting and an amazing cameo by Jason Bateman, also known as Arrested Development’s Michael Bluth.

The plot is based on the 2003 BBC series, which explains the English-sounding names like Della Frye and Robert Bingham. Although condensed, the film adaptation closely follows the TV series plot.

During the credits, images of newspaper printing show that when the important story is finished, it goes to newsprint rather than online.

The film is worth watching for the concept and worth liking because it is as rich in style as it is convincing.

Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were originally cast to play the leading roles, but when Pitt backed out, both had to be replaced. Crowe and Affleck filled their roles.
-Christine Labit