Film 
(3.5/5) DVD (3/5)
“State of Play” is adapted by plot specialists Tony Gilroy and Matthew Michael Carnahan from the BBC 2003 television series of the same name. To directed the film has been called UK documentarist Kevin Macdonald (“Touching the Void”).
The story starts with three murders, a political scandal and a journalistic rivalry in a major Washington newspaper. The main character is Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe): a overpaid, overweight, over-connected seasoned journalist who is paired with Della Frye, a young ambitious online reporter. The murders seem connected to one another, as well as linked to corporate crime and politics.
The film is a well-crafted thriller with good acting, as well as typical Hollywood technical mastery in editing, photography and special effects. This film adds to the thriller genre, by giving us a twisted plot reminiscent of the early film-noir, whilst being set on a backdrop of a political Washington, overrun by large newspapers and corporate interests. The film cleverly outlines the connection between politics and journalism and sketches a series of interesting but predictable professional profiles for each characters. These qualities are delivered with dexterity by the actors. The limit is in that the more the film tries to break out of the constriction of the formula the more it shows the artificiality of the plot. The freshness of Macdonald’s directing and the effective use of photographic techniques (that is, over the shoulder camera) is countered by the dominant role of the plot over the characters. All Russell Crowe can do is distract the audience from the emptiness of his character; it does not seem to have a life beyond the film. The plot is so solidly build in showing that no institution is morally right (whether they are conservative or progressive, or driven by corporate and newspaper interest) that the very characters that should embody that institutions appear as accidental; almost irrelevant.
The DVD is presented in a good transfer with a ‘Making of’ segment, as well as a brief interview with the cast and a couple of deleted scenes.
Go here for a comparison between the 2009 American featured and the 2003 BBC series.
State of Play
(Usa, UK, France 127 min, Thriller)
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
with Russell Crowe (Cal McAffrey), Ben Affleck (Rep. Stephen Collins), Rachel McAdams (Della Frye), Helen Mirren (Cameron Lynne), Robin Wright Penn (Anne Collins)
DVD: Universal
Extras: Deleted scenes, Making of, Trailer.
Popularity: 1% [?]
