This is a review I wrote for my school's newspaper last year.
In the year 2003, BBC One broadcasted a BAFTA-winning six-hour miniseries about political corruption in London and the journalists who attempt to uncover it. In 2009, this critically acclaimed TV drama was slimmed down to a two hour film adaptation, moving across the pond to Washington, D.C.
The plot revolves around the aftermath of the death of Sonia Baker, the mistress of a Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck). Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), a Washington Globe reporter and longtime friend of Collins, suspects that the girl’s demise was no accident, and is intent on getting to the bottom of the event. To aid him in his mission, his boss (Helen Mirren), teams McAffrey up with up-and-coming blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams). Together, they seek the truth being hidden by dishonest politicos and a corporate cover-up.
This is a well-made film. Director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) keeps it taut and fast-paced, but still coherent, which is a quite a feat considering how many twists and turns this thing takes. The press is presented as a detective, looking for clues, desperate to solve the mystery, not in order to physically condemn the criminal, but to convict them in the minds of the readers, to achieve justice in that way; the glory of getting the story first does not hurt either. It is the element of “whodunit” and the process of finding out just that that has always made journalism films so fascinating, and that is certainly true of this one. The audience is kept engaged by the tense atmosphere that Macdonald creates through his use of music and sometimes shadowy, sometimes dusty cinematography; dimly lit scenes reflect the characters’ situations of being in the dark, not knowing what they are getting into, with bright ones signaling the revelation of something new. The director assures us that State of Play is in good hands with these types of subtleties, leaving it to the actors to really bring it home.
The performances are good - not great - all-around. Crowe is convincing as the smart, determined writer who would do anything to find out what really happened, as is McAdams as the naïve sidekick, eager to work on her first big story. Legendary British actress Helen Mirren is typically good as the newspaper editor who cares less about details and more about deadlines, bringing wit and charisma to the part. Ben Affleck and Robin Wright-Penn (The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump), are believable as a couple forced to have dignity and grace amidst a scandal that strains their already rocky relationship. Everyone does a fine job, but there is nothing especially noteworthy among the actors – that is until a little over an hour into the film, when one Mr. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Juno) shows up in a bit-part as an eccentric, fast-talking, pill-popping PR man who may have just the information needed to find the missing piece of the puzzle. Here, Bateman creates an interesting character that sticks in the mind after his short appearance is over, giving a reminder of the unimportance of how “small” a part is.
State of Play's screenplay keeps it from becoming a great film. Not to be mistaken, the script is intelligently written and impressive bearing in mind the expanse of the source material. However, there are two main problems: the characterization of supporting players and the plot twists. More information on the characters - aside from Cal - would have been helpful in attaching to them, specifically in the case of Della Frye; having a deeper sense of her personality and life may have lent more tension to scenes in which she is endangered, as well as more interest in her in general. The latter issue mentioned is the larger one. With each plot twist, the film turns out to be less probable, and the viewer less involved.
Even with the aforementioned hindrances, the film does not sink. We receive a motion picture that does not insult our intellect with simplistic dialogue and plot devices; the themes of the movie call upon us to think about the significance of our news publications in shaping our ideas about politics, crime, and big business, and how they should be responsibly handled. While it may not be destined to become a classic, State of Play is a picture that is worth a watch for the questions it raises in sharp manner. B
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