Powerful acting highlights the brilliant movie that is “State of Play,” one of the best films of 2009. A taut and intense thriller, “State of Play” is inspired by world events, proving that journalists are sometimes heroes that expose the truth. In doing so, it’s never far-fetched; as a matter of fact, it stays true to the characters it created.
Based on a BBC miniseries of the same name, it starts with the murder of Rep. Stephen Collins’ (Ben Affleck) mistress. What she knew and who was trying to silence her is the question that propels the storyline. It then immediately shoots to a newspaper where Cal McAffey (Russell Crowe) exposes the breaking story.
At the center of the scrumptious storyline lies McAffey’s friendship with Collins, which ultimately creates a conflict of interest that fails to deter the detective from conducting some hardcore investigative reporting on the privatization of homeland security- mirroring today’s headlines.
Crowe transforms into the hard-boiled journalist effectively, proving that he is one of the best actors of our generation. His character is an unshaven, long-haired, whiskey-drinking reporter that is strictly dedicated to his job, leaving no time for a personal life, with his love for Collins’ wife (Robin Wright Penn) serving as a hint of its previous existence. The real revelation however comes from the strong supporting performance of Affleck. A state representative with a life that’s falling apart, Collins suffers not only the subsequent public exposure of his affair, but an assassination attempt on his life.
Is Collins who he appears to be? McAffrey wants to clear his name at any cost and that is what builds the bulk of the film’s tension.
The powerhouse acting comes from the two strong performances in the leads and that palpable tension is discussed right away- first in their shared apologies for a previous transgression and then in their semi-volatile relationship. They share some intense and extremely well-acted scenes in the picture that make for one hell of treat to watch.
The supporting cast is nothing short of amazing with Oscar-winner Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels (“The Purple Rose of Cario”) and brief, hysterical appearance by Jason Bateman enhancing the leading performances.
The film comes together because of the sure-fire direction of Kevin MacDonald (“The Last King of Scotland”), who knows how to balance all these great elements in the two-hour movie. Another factor is the expertly handled cinematography, which is shot differently for Collins’ and McAffrey’s story lines. McAffrey is given a dark lighting to create a mood for his piece, while Collins get a hand-held digital film when in the Senate, providing a feel similar to CNN and other news channels.
The DVD extras include an 18 minute talking head fluff piece with the cast and crew and two short deleted scenes, but none of this sheds much light on the production.
“State of Play” may have bombed at the box-office, but it has been given a new life on DVD and deserves your attention, as it is the story of flawed humans trying to make the most the cards they were dealt in life.
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