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Cast: Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe, Jeff Daniels, Helen Mirren, Josh Mostel, Robin Wright, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Barry Shabaka Henley, Michael Weston
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.
Right from the start you get the feeling this is going to just another predictable thriller but as the film movies along the plot begins to thicken and there are twists around every corner. There has been many Political thrillers like this that failed in so many areas where this one doesn't. Along with the thrills, mystery and suspense comes a little added humor along the way as well which I felt was a nice touch and it helped to lighten an otherwise tense film. One of the main reasons this film works is the cast, Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck are terrific in their roles and they have great chemistry together, Affleck has really proven critics wrong in the last few years and is showing signs of a man who is a role away from an Oscar. I was never a big fan of Crowe but I think he was much better here than in previous roles. McAdams does a fine job playing a reporter who is working with Crowe to get to the bottom of the murders. She really held her own and did a fine acting job. The rest of the cast were all very good as well, I thought it was a solid cast all around. This is a dialogue-heavy, character driven film that demands your attention because there is a new character or some heavy conversion going on that is important to the story, the film is not hard to follow but you will need to pay attention to this one. The film is not without flaws but they are too common in every film to be picking them out on this one and ruining an otherwise very good thriller. State of Play is an edge of your seat thriller that is packed full of suspense and it keeps you guessing till the very end. I recommend this to anyone that likes a good thriller and for the most smart the writing is clever and smart. I got to say I found State of Play to be one of the better movies this year so pick this up today I am sure you will be entertained as much as I was. The DVD comes with Special Features that include:
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - French, Spanish
Subtitles: English, SDH, French, Spanish
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes
Featurette: The Making of State of Play
Released by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. **** Out Of *****