State of Play Blu-ray review
This cover is serious business!
State of Play flew under the radar in theaters, and the less you know about the film, the better. It’s a deft political thriller, that makes a lot of poignant observations about modern journalism, which also happens to be an entertaining film.
And for Blu-ray enthusiasts, it also happens to be a gorgeous movie.
State of Play is a film adaptation of the BBC serial of the same name, but there has never been a more relevant film on the state of print journalism for Americans.
As dozens of institutions close their doors due to the economic crisis and plummeting readership, the film brings up a discussion about the blurring lines of journalism as we head into a new media world.
And the good news is all of this is put together in a very slick package, with great production values on a pretty good Blu-ray.
STORYTELLING:
State of Play is a pretty intense political thriller, kicked off by the apparent suicide of a congressional aide to Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) that visibly hits him hard. In the now 24/7 news cycle, this act of emotion naturally raises suspicion, confirmed to his friend – and veteran journalist – Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
Collins admits to having an affair with the aide, and questions the suicide, citing her behavior the day of her death.
The film naturally progresses to a “whodunit” as Cal attempts to solve the mystery of not only the aide’s death, but possibly other murders connected to Collins. Director Kevin MacDonald expertly throws the audiences for a loop (or two) using a clever script, but the effort ultimately falls victim to genre fatigue near the end of its running time.
What separates the film from the pack is the humanistic quality of its characters; everyone is believable, and they all have flaws. Nobody’s hands are clean in State of Play, and the film is very much about compromise.
Cal’s colleague, Della (played by the lovely Rachel McAdams), is a stark contrast his conceit of journalistic integrity. The struggle for a new generation to juggle ambition and journalistic integrity is interwoven into the film, bluntly depicting print journalism as an ailing dinosaur.
The future Mrs. Will Federman!
The film also brushes the subject of paramilitary contractors, and their power in the political corridors of Washington, which happens to be an untapped source for screenwriters at the moment. America seems to be on the cusp of a public backlash to contractors, and in that case, screenwriters Matthew Carnahan, Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray are ahead of the curve.
State of Play is an intricate thriller, with a lot going on at any given time. It combines politics, with the business of journalism, paramilitary contractors, bloggers and more. Under a less guided hand, it might have been a mess. When ever you take six-part miniseries and condense it into a feature length film, there has to be a great deal of discipline.
Or else it doesn’t work.
But – hey! – it does work. And to MacDonald’s credit, he’s able to pull out terrific performances from his principles, which includes a cast of Academy darlings (Crowe, Affleck, McAdams, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, etc.). Crowe and Affleck really sell the thing, both creating compelling characters that are multi-layered and don’t heavily rely on stereotypes.
And while the film falls short near the end, it does not collapse under its own weight. Its a meaty adaptation; one that succeeds in being an entertaining thriller, propelled by excellent performances perhaps overlooked in theaters.
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