A murder that is attached to another murder that covers up something much bigger is what State of Play is all about. This a good, smart thriller that keeps you interested the whole time. You are trying along with the characters in the movie to figure out what is happening and why. The murders are only the beginning. As the story unfolds, there are secrets that come out and the truth is uncovered.
Russell Crowe plays an investigative reporter who knows his way around the streets of Washington. As he digs deeper into the murders he is writing about, his path crosses with his good friend, U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (played by Ben Affleck). He is a rising star in his party until his research assistant is found dead. As everything starts to make more and more sense, the friendship between Crowe’s character and Affleck’s character unravels.
I must say that the friendship between Crowe and Affleck is good. Now Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were first attached to star in this, but dropped out. I don’t know if they would have been as good as Pitt and Norton, but Crowe and Affleck’s friendship felt sincere and genuine. However, the movie tries to put them around the same age, and that is not believable at all. Crowe looks older than Affleck because he is. There is no way I believe those two guys shared a room in college. The friendship plays a big part in this movie, and each have their secrets.
I have to include Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams. Mirren plays Crowe’s editor and she is good. She brings authority and power to her character, but can be understanding to an extent. She wants a good story, but she has bosses as well and she’s feeling the pressure. McAdams is a good actress and one of my favorites. She really holds her own with Crowe. She is kind of his sidekick, but her character has a purpose and depth.
She is a blogger and Crowe is a newspaper guy. So already, there is a strain on their relationship. They each come from a different generation. However, they find a way to work together, but McAdams is also a smart woman and questions the actions of Crowe. She doesn’t sit back and let him take over. Her character has strength and a brain to go with it.
Director Kevin Macdonald has an interesting story that involves murder and scandal, but also focuses on more than that. It shows the slow death of newspapers and the war between them and the Internet. The movie is about friendship and what you are willing to do for a friend. The story involves real investigating and using that information to get to reasons and a conclusion. State of Play has a great cast with an entertaining and intriguing story. When you put all of that together – you can’t go wrong.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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