State of Play

Director Kevin Mcdonald's latest film has far less weight than his last one, the Idi Amin drama The Last King of Scotland, but perhaps that is by default, since State of Play doesn't dwell on genocide or torture. But this thriller, based on a BBC miniseries of the same name, is serious stuff, questioning the validity and the very existence of newspaper journalism in the age of on-the-ball bloggers and the 24-hour news cycle. Not to mention Blackwater-style mercenaries, the collision of personal and professional ethics, and political corruption...

While investigating a double murder, journalist Cal McCaffrey (Russell Crowe) discovers its connections to the death of a young woman who served as the research assistant and mistress to his college roommate, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck). Of course, the three murders aren't as straighforward as they appear, and McCaffrey investigates the mazelike connections with the help of young political blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams). Not only does the pair have to race against the clock, as is common in political thrillers, but they're on deadline, and upsetting their strict, seething editor (a fantastic Helen Mirren) is almost as deadly as not finding out the identity of the killer.

As always, Crowe is capable in the role of the old-school-rooted journalist whose own colleagues don't even read his work. The character is cliched, but the actor is strong enough to move past the boundaries of the page. Though the excellent Gone Baby Gone made me wish for more Affleck behind the camera, he does a good job as the fallen, former golden boy of his party (which is, smartly, never named). At times, McAdams seems a bit too eager and broadly drawn, but she is charismatic enough to carry the role. Jason Bateman has a far-too-small part that proves he is just as adept with comedy as he is drama.

Tony Gilroy, Matthew Michael Carnahan, and Billy Ray all contributed to the script, and it's easy to see where their previous work (including Michael Clayton, The Kingdom, Breach, and Shattered Glass) has informed this screenplay. Political intrigue and journalism collide with action to produce a contemporary All the President's Men with a bit more gunfire for audiences weaned on high-octane thrillers and up-to-the-minute news updates.