» Review Summary
State Of Play Review
Short Version: State of Play is a brilliantly acted, well told political thriller that brings you along for the ride and keeps you engaged throughout the film. The overall story does feel a bit formulaic and I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, but the movie is strong enough to easily overcome those shortcomings.
Release: April 17th 2009
Genre: Political thriller / mystery
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Staring: Russell Crowe, Ben Afleck, Rachel McAdams, Hellen Mirren
SCORE: 8/10
» Review
State Of Play Review
Thanks for checking out our State of Play review. If you’d like to see a video version of our State of Play review you can view it at the bottom of the written review.
I never make any secret about it. I believe, without question, not even close, Russell Crowe is the very best actor on the planet today. No one else (aside from Daniel Day-Lewis) is even in the same league as this guy right now. His pure range and diversity put him in another class than anyone else working in the business today. I’ve also always contended that Ben Affleck is a very underrated actor as well… he just does some terrible shit sometimes, but when you see him in films like Good Will Hunting, Chasing Amy or Changing Lanes, you see he’s got it. And who doesn’t love good political mystery thrillers? All together State of Play was a movie I just had to see. And I’m very glad i did.
THE GENERAL IDEA
The synopsis for State of Play reads something like this: “A petty thief is gunned down in an alley and a Congressman’s assistant falls in front of a subway - two seemingly unrelated deaths. But not to wisecracking, brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey who spies a conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. With a turbulent past connected to the Congressman and the aid of ambitious young rookie writer Della Frye, Cal begins uprooting clues that lead him to a corporate cover-up full of insiders, informants, and assassins. But as he draws closer to the truth, the relentless journalist must decide if it’s worth risking his life and selling his soul to get the ultimate story.”
THE GOOD
I sound like a bloody broken record, but holy crap Russell Crowe just flat out amazes me every single time he’s on screen, and his performance in State of Play is no exception. But it’s not just Crowe. Affleck is terrific in this. As always Helen Mirren (The Queen) is awesome, even Rachel McAdams does a bang up job. I was even surprised to see Princess Buttercup herself (Robin Wright Penn) in the movie and completely sell me on her character. All the acting in the film is brilliant, which I believe is a testament to the direction of Kevin Macdonald (who also directed Forest Whitaker in his Oscar winning performance in The Last King of Scotland).
This is just me… but I really appreciated the distinction that the film makes between bloggers and journalists. Bloggers, these movie website guys who calls themselves “journalists” really irritate me. In the film Russell Crowe plays a newspaper reporter. A REAL journalist. You know, someone who actually tracks down leads, breaks stories, does massive amounts of research, hits the pavement, talks to multiple sources… a journalist. Then, Rachel McAdams plays a blogger. You know, someone who just reads what someone else already reported, regurgitates it on her website and adds her spin and opinion on it. THERE IS A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO and the movie goes out of it’s way to hammer that home. I LOVE that it does that. I’m blogger, and there’s nothing wrong with that… but I’m not a journalist, and neither is any other movie website guy you read out there, no matter if they say they are or not. PERIOD.
The mystery of the film was revealed at a fantastic pace. Not a FAST pace. They told the story in such a way that they timed each revelation perfectly, keeping you as the audience member engaged. They never rushed it, it never felt dragged and the audience never felt lost either. Once again, a testament to the direction of Kevin Macdonald.
THE BAD
My one major problem with State of Play is that as a political mystery thriller, it does feel a little formulaic, and although the film is done VERY well, I feel like I’ve seen it before for most of it. Big bad corporation using it’s power to get and do whatever it wants to make sure it keeps all its money and power. Maybe even kill people! GASP!!!! In thqt sense it felt like just about every John Grisham adapted movie.
I was not a fan of the ending of the film. To me it leaves a few holes in the plot left open and it just didn’t feel satisfying to me.
OVERALL
State of Play is a brilliantly acted, well told political thriller that brings you along for the ride and keeps you engaged throughout the film. The overall story does feel a bit formulaic and I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, but the movie is strong enough to easily overcome those shortcomings. Overall I give State Of Play an 8 out of 10.
Great review. I’m looking forward to checking this out. Crowe rules.
The movie was not very good. Decent, but not great. A must see on DVD, not worth ten bucks.
One thing John I will never get, is all the Ben Affleck hate. The guy is a good actor with solid screen presence. Plus he’s one really smart guy.
chuck
major props on the blogger, journalists distinction. and crowe is a phenominal actor, been interested in this one, good review john.
John,
You need to write an essay on why Russel Crowe is a great actor. I’ve enjoyed him in flicks (L.A. Con, Gladiator…) but he’s never dazzled me the way DDL has. I would argue Brad Pitt is a stronger actor especially when he goes ugly (Kalifornia, 12 monkeys, even Fight Club… although he wasn’t ugly on the outside).
DDL shocks me every time I see him (although I’m worried he may head the way of Depp and become a commercial superstar, where his eccentricity becomes a marketing tool).
Russel Crowe has never shocked me and I get a very smug vibe from him on screen. He’s always confident when confidence isn’t always called for (ex. Cinderella Man).
Cinderella Man failed because Crowe acted like it was going to work out in the end. I saw no despair or worry on his face. It’s like he can’t hide that he’s read the script and knows what’s going to happen. I would put him on level with Keanu Reeves. Someone who fits a limited amount of roles but when he finds the right one it works perfectly (although, I would agree Russel Crowe has a bit more range).
Also, I get the sense from Crowe that he’s lazy, that he’s sitting back on his talent - this may account for the smug vibe I get from him.
oh and bravo on the changing lanes mention..i loved that movie, underrated.
1. Just in case that was an attack on me (which is doubt), I’m just a reference. Punisher fan > Punisher War Journal > War-Journalist
2. Ben Affleck is quite underrated.
3. Hooray for State of Play. I may actually rent this one. I’m not much for politics. But again, hooray.
what about a punisher war journalist
why do you think russell crowe is the greatest actor?
Great acting is defined by range and diversity. The ability to take on radically different characters with completely different personalities. This is what separates a GREAT actor from the good ones.
When you look at the career of Russell Crowe, no one has tackled the kind of diverse roles he has with such amazing results.
Gladiator, in which his character is totally differnt from his character in…
Mystery Alaska, in which his character is totally differnt from his character in…
A Beautiful Mind, in which his character is totally differnt from his character in…
Master and Commander, in which his character is totally differnt from his character in…
Cinderella Man, in which his character is totally differnt from his character in…
The Insider, in which his character is totally differnt from his character in…
3:10 To Yuma, in which his character is totally differnt from his character in…
State Of Play
I could go on and on. This guy routinely gets Oscar nominations (and wins) for massively different and diverse characters. He knocks it out of the park every single time. He’s a jerk… but no one comes close to his pure acting ability in the business today. No one.
crowe is a likable actor with a lot charisma. but i think it’s quite a stretch to say he “is the very best actor on the planet today”. my current top choice is mr. gary oldman - everything from dracula to com. gordon. even the diversity of johnny depp (although a little overrated) has greater distance of roles than crowe. recently, most would give than honor to tom hanks. still some would argue (not me) sean penn holds the honor. robin williams who i believe is quite underrated seems to have a bit more diversity than russell crowe. i personally really like russell crowe - but i’d never call “the best”.
John, I think it’d be awesome if you wrote a piece on Russell Crowe about the specifics of his acting and what exactly you find so great about certain performances. I, for one, am not yet convinced fully and would love to hear your reasoning. Yes, range is very important, but then the actor still has to have a great performance as the character and I just am not wowed by a huge number of his performances (some ARE great, but not the vast majority). Also, I see what you mean by alot of his characters being different from eachother, but if I’m being honest, I think he acts many of them in similar ways (if that makes sense). Just because a character looks vastly different, or lives in a different time period doesn’t mean he isn’t acting it in a similar way he acted a prior role (it’s been a while since I’ve seen many of those films though, maybe I should take another look). I think, yeah, he takes on a lot of different roles, but doesn’t act them incredibly different (like, say, Daniel Day Lewis).
So yeah, just a thought, I’d love to hear the intricacies of why Crowe blows you away. I gladly welcome you to convert me… and would happily be converted, I just don’t see it right now.
* Clears Throat* Gladiator? All the other stuff he is in? Yeah, he is one of the greatest, for me Sean Penn is the best right now, looking forward to checking this one out
i really need to goo see this one. unfortuantly my girlfrends are dragging me to hanna montanna and dragonball.
If you agree to go with them to drain your brain, they must agree to see Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. If not, get new girlfriends.
Ditch them. Friends don’t let friends watch shitty movies.
Crowe is an outstanding but I wouldn’t call him “the best on the planet.” I personally think Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman are a little better. But along with a handful of others, Crowe belongs in the conversation. To compare him to Keanu Reeves is pure blasphemy.
I agree that Ben Affleck is underrated and I don’t get all the hate for him, either. So yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing this.
State of Play is pretty darn good. I got a kick out of Jason Bateman’s character! He plays a good PR jerk. Almost every line was humorous, especially when he was commenting on Crowe’s ride. :-)
John, I agree with you: Russell Crowe is one of the best actors out there. The man has the ability to believably bring genuine warmth and likability to just about every character he portrays. Even in Romper Stomper, his character does some brutal and horrendous acts, but several times throughout the film his charisma and passion overwhelms you…and you end up liking this fanatic! Great acting.
Though I do agree with some other bloggers that Crowe seems to be coasting in some of his more recent roles. Still, it’s hard not to watch him do his thing. Plus putting Keanu Reeves and Crowe in the same league is simply laughable. I do like Keanu Reeves but he can’t touch Crowe right now.
Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo!
Damn straight.
If you thought the film was good you should check out the mini-series. It was six eposides, each about an hour long. You can rent it from Netflix. The only big changes made were that Della was a blogger (in the original she was always working with Cal), the talk of blogging/journalism, and the parking garage scene takes the place of a similiar, but more realistic scene from the show (but I enjoyed that scene).
Anyway, the British covers more of the jornalistic side of things and has very top notch actors as well.
Oh, and while the twist is pretty similiar to the show, the show does a much, much better job in my opinion. Do yourself a favor and rent the show!
The film still good though.
Damn I just saw this movie and it was great
Great review but, I dont see why it doesnt deserve a 9 or even more, I found it to be that good
I was literally at the edge of my seat from the middle to the end of this movie
And Ben Affleck freaking ruled in this movie!
I gotta say, John, that having just watched this movie tonight, your review is bang on. The only differences I’d have to make is that I don’t agree that Affleck did a great job in this and that Crowe, IMO, isn’t the best actor out there today. I do think he’s great though. Played this role exceptionally well.