Movie Review of Kevin Macdonald’s incredible ‘State of Play’
Kevin Macdonald’s “State of Play” is incredible. Once it gets going in the opening five minutes, it does not stop. Period. There is revelation after revelation, and twist after twist that occur so naturally that you completely forget that you are watching a movie. The cast is brilliant, the script is brilliant, and the sense of intrigue and suspense is constant. Everyone involved did a great job, including Alex Heffes’ guitar riffing score.
Directed by Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland”) and co-written by Tony Gilroy (“Michael Clayton” and “Duplicity”) “State of Play” is adapted from a 2003 BBC miniseries of the same name. The story follows tenured journalist Cal McAffrey, played rotundly by Russell Crowe as he investigates a double homicide that becomes linked to the murder of a Congressman’s mistress and is the heart of a much larger political conspiracy involving a private security firm. Ben Affleck plays Congressman Stephen Collins, Rachel McAdams plays McAffrey’s wet behind the ears blogger colleague, and Helen Mirren is their newspaper’s ballzy editor.
The seasoned cast does nothing if not elevate ‘Play’ to the masterpiece it is. Crowe shows us once again that he can bring credibility to any role he takes on. He so embodies the veteran journalist that it takes only a couple of minutes to forget that it’s even him. Plus, props to him for the character’s weight gain…it proves that, at whatever that weight is, with long hair and an untucked collared shirt, anyone can look completely unappealing. Rachel McAdams continues her conquest for “Most Doe Eyed in Hollywood”. The thing is, she can so hold her own on screen with the likes of Crowe and Mirren that she’s going to be unstoppable in the next few years. Plus she is so damn cute! She really has the whole package. Affleck and Jeff Daniels play your typical politicians but do so convincingly.
The real surprise was Jason Bateman. He wasn’t featured in the newest trailer I saw and thus I completely forgot that he was in the movie. It’s not a huge role but one that acts to lighten the mood a little and help thrust the film into the third act. “And your gayyrage? What do you have?” Awesome. Nobody plays a better douche that he does. In this case, he plays a PR guy that is mixed up in the whole conspiracy. He did a good job of walking the line between hokey and completely douchey. Everything Bateman does these days is enjoyable and he added some spice to an already very awesome film.
Not only is ‘Play’ a superior political thriller, but it also delves into the state of the journalism industry. I recommend this movie to political conspiracy fans but also to anyone that wants to see the inner workings of a large, struggling contemporary newspaper. It’s an interesting sub-theme as real life newspapers are struggling to deal with the loss of ad dollars as readership flocks online. Elements of the story also show the relationship between bloggers and journalists – how they are seen by the journalistic community, their contribution to news organizations, and how their news gathering methods differ. The subtle commentary was as intriguing as the lead conspiracy plotline. It was great to see the issue handled in a realistic manner. Bloggers have been, and still are, blamed for the loss of integrity of journalism. The barriers to entry are pretty much non-existent so if you have a computer and you can get online, you can blog. This being said, it isn’t necessarily the content that they churn out but the speed and manner in which they do it that is the real threat. As the movie explored these themes throughout the movie, it was a great that they concluded the movie with the process of how a newspaper goes to print. The bloated, timely process is the perfect metaphor for what is wrong with the industry. Lots of machines, tons of paper, and a time consuming process to put the story on the page. I sat down an hour ago and now this posting is online for anyone to read…
The bottom line: 4.5/5. “State of Play” is an exciting ball of yarn that unravels off a cliff for two hours. It is a must see for political conspiracy aficionados and anyone looking for a fantastic thriller.
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