Film Review

~ State of Play ~

When Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) intern dies in mysterious circumstances, Washington Globe crime reporter Cal McCaffrey (Russell Crowe) sets out to uncover the truth.

Recent conspiracy thrillers have somewhat open themselves up to a whole host of assumptions and loose ends with either obvious plots or logic that can easily be picked apart, I'm reminded of the underrated Eagle Eye - which I personally enjoyed even though the story was unbelievably over the top. Luckily this isn't the case with State of Play!

Crowes Cal McCaffrey is surrounded by props that mirror his technophobic personality, from the organized chaos of his work station to the run down Saab he drives, he's a gruff Whiskey drinking old-school reporter which plays to Crowe' strengths . As we watch the Globe being taken over by new corporate owners more interested in selling papers than in documenting real stories, we begin to realize that the downfall of the newspaper is the main reasoning behind Globe editor's (Helen Mirren in a brief but hugely memorable role) frequent emotional - and not to mention humorous - outburst to meet deadlines before rival papers get there first, which helps focus the urgency and give pauses to lighten the tone.

The role of Cal was originally set to be given to Brad Pitt and after seeing such a sterling job from Crowe it's hard to imagine him bringing such weight to the part. Similarly there was another last minute replacement in the casting of Ben Affleck as Collins. Ed Norton, caught up with scheduling issues was unavailable when Director Kevin McDonald (The Last King of Scotland) was ready to start filming. It's in this central relationship where my only real issue with the film lies, believing McCaffrey and Collins were ever college roommates just doesn't work. Less than 10 years separate the two but it's a big enough gap to put the both of them worlds apart.

The chemistry between McCaffrey and Collins wife (played by Robin Wright Penn) is clear as is the gelling with fresh faced online journalist Della Frye (an excellent Rachael McAdams). There's a lack of sexual tension to break through as the pairs clashing personalities develop into a more teacher/student partnership and as McCaffrey's wisdom is passed on she starts to appreciate the benefits of face to face journalism.

I've never seen the BBC show on which the film is based but have been reliably informed that it's been carefully adapted. The story is well balance - between relationships
both personal and professional - and keeps you guessing throughout, throwing in more than a few misleading pieces of information to leave an expected but certainly not predictable twist at the end. The writing is first class, mashing together the talents of Matthew Michael Carnahan (Lions or Lambs) and Tony Gilroy (the Bourne Trilogy) who's style and narrative drive can be felt throughout; you can almost imagine feverishly turning the pages of the script - although some moments feel like they're being spelt out for the popcorn throwing members of the audience. Visually everything is well staged with the atmospheric cinematography only adding to the feeling of unease and the sense that watchful eyes lurk around every corner.

This is a smart, well paced conspiracy thriller and if like me you've gone off Russell Crowe in recent years be prepared to be won over by his outstanding return to form!

****