State of Play (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
A team of investigative journalists work alongside the police to try & solve the murder of a congressman's mistress in 'State of Play', directed by Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland). A thief is gunned down in a dank, dark alley. And the congressman's mistress 'falls' in front of an oncoming train. The 2 incidents don't appear to be related, but you can sure guess that they are. Bold & brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) assumes a conspiracy. And with the aid of an ambitious young blog-writer, Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), Cal starts finding clues that lead him to a huge corporate cover-up; one involving informants, insiders, mistresses, wives, armed forces, assassins, researchers, congressmen ... the list goes ever on.
Cal, a reporter from the old-school of journalism, gets some tips that the petty thief shooting may have something to do with the subway death of one Sonia Baker. Cal's old college roommate, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), is the chairman of a committee reviewing whether or not Pointcorp should be used to outsource homeland security. Sonia Baker was Collins' chief researcher, but she was also his lover. Many people think she may have jumped in front of the subway, but Collins' is adamant that she did not commit suicide. Backed by his bulldog of an editor, Cameron Lunne (Helen Mirren), Cal believes that he can crack this case in time for his deadline & help save The Washington Globe from going under. They. need. stories. Facts be damned.
But Cal is actually in a bit of a morality battle. Does he get the 'story' for his newspaper; tooth and nail? Or does he help out his friend, Congressman Collins? Threats are everywhere. And while Della uses her new age techniques to determine the kind of person Sonia Baker really was, Cal sticks to his old school techniques in trying to expose Pointcorp's corruption. Unfortunately for all of them, things are not as they seem. Not only has Cal been sleeping with Collins' wife (Robin Wright Penn), but other people thought to have been allies (or on the same page) may certainly not be. As the truth of it all draws near, Cal & Della must ask themselves if this story is worth risking the fate of the newspaper, their jobs, or even their lives.
'SoP' offers a dense plot, but one that is not indecipherable. The action kicks-off in the beginning with the double deaths. We meet the major players. And then we're thrust into what becomes a Watergate-ish newspaper drama/conspiracy thriller. I particularly enjoyed the newspaper angle (showing how vulnerable print business is nowadays ... especially to mediums such as online blogs). The acting is top notch. Rachel McAdams is given her 1st meaty role since Red Eye some 4 years ago. Ben Affleck acquits himself well. Helen Mirren is enjoyable as always. Jason Bateman is awesome in a small but pivotal role as a smarmy PR man withholding confidential information on the case. And Russell Crowe is fantastic as the eccentric, obsessive, but compassionate (beneath it all) journalist. He's quick & alert at judging people & situations (for his job), but it isn't always as easy for him in his personal life. I just think he nailed that type of character.
All that said, 'State of Play' is not perfect. Based on a 6 hour British miniseries, cutting the material down to 2 hours means that some character development goes by the wayside. It is secondary to the plot. And that hurts a film such as this (with a plentitude of extremely important characters). My other issue with the film is that the conclusion isn't as imaginative or engaging as everything that leads UP to it. It felt condensed ... like another hour (or 4, like the miniseries) was necessary to substantiate the story's tidy/rushed conclusion. It's disappointing when the unfulfillment of a climax doesn't match the vitality of the rest of the story. Still, there are many interesting things going on throughout the film, and many reasons to seek it out. Very good movie.
Cal, a reporter from the old-school of journalism, gets some tips that the petty thief shooting may have something to do with the subway death of one Sonia Baker. Cal's old college roommate, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), is the chairman of a committee reviewing whether or not Pointcorp should be used to outsource homeland security. Sonia Baker was Collins' chief researcher, but she was also his lover. Many people think she may have jumped in front of the subway, but Collins' is adamant that she did not commit suicide. Backed by his bulldog of an editor, Cameron Lunne (Helen Mirren), Cal believes that he can crack this case in time for his deadline & help save The Washington Globe from going under. They. need. stories. Facts be damned.
But Cal is actually in a bit of a morality battle. Does he get the 'story' for his newspaper; tooth and nail? Or does he help out his friend, Congressman Collins? Threats are everywhere. And while Della uses her new age techniques to determine the kind of person Sonia Baker really was, Cal sticks to his old school techniques in trying to expose Pointcorp's corruption. Unfortunately for all of them, things are not as they seem. Not only has Cal been sleeping with Collins' wife (Robin Wright Penn), but other people thought to have been allies (or on the same page) may certainly not be. As the truth of it all draws near, Cal & Della must ask themselves if this story is worth risking the fate of the newspaper, their jobs, or even their lives.
'SoP' offers a dense plot, but one that is not indecipherable. The action kicks-off in the beginning with the double deaths. We meet the major players. And then we're thrust into what becomes a Watergate-ish newspaper drama/conspiracy thriller. I particularly enjoyed the newspaper angle (showing how vulnerable print business is nowadays ... especially to mediums such as online blogs). The acting is top notch. Rachel McAdams is given her 1st meaty role since Red Eye some 4 years ago. Ben Affleck acquits himself well. Helen Mirren is enjoyable as always. Jason Bateman is awesome in a small but pivotal role as a smarmy PR man withholding confidential information on the case. And Russell Crowe is fantastic as the eccentric, obsessive, but compassionate (beneath it all) journalist. He's quick & alert at judging people & situations (for his job), but it isn't always as easy for him in his personal life. I just think he nailed that type of character.
All that said, 'State of Play' is not perfect. Based on a 6 hour British miniseries, cutting the material down to 2 hours means that some character development goes by the wayside. It is secondary to the plot. And that hurts a film such as this (with a plentitude of extremely important characters). My other issue with the film is that the conclusion isn't as imaginative or engaging as everything that leads UP to it. It felt condensed ... like another hour (or 4, like the miniseries) was necessary to substantiate the story's tidy/rushed conclusion. It's disappointing when the unfulfillment of a climax doesn't match the vitality of the rest of the story. Still, there are many interesting things going on throughout the film, and many reasons to seek it out. Very good movie.