State of Play

Nothing is as it seems in State of Play, a crackerjack political thriller in which no individual, profession or institution gets away clean.

Until State of Play slips into its small cascade of improbabilities near its end, it proves a thoroughly engaging and professional enterprise.

Intelligent and engrossing saga.

Features a handsome production and terrific performances.

The overall lack of subtlety is a riot - there's even a cautionary production of "Peter and the Wolf" happening in the background during one journalist-politician showdown at a Beltway gala. Still, it's a pleasure watching this cast make the most of the material.

After a bracing first hour, State of Play defaults on the most basic promise of the conspiracy thriller. Instead of luring us down an ever-darker and twistier path, it strands us in a tedious and ill-designed maze.

State of Play is bordered by the states of absurdity and cliché.

This movie is exceptional, and even with its crazy twists it manages to entertain and mystify for its entire running time. The characters are amazingly acted, and most of them knock 'real' straight out of the ballpark, while Russell Crowe delivers an Oscar-worthy performance. Well-written and executed on all fronts, State of Play is a movie I will definitely come back to time and time again.

State of Play: 6 out of 10: State of Play is two hour plus big budget thriller without one memorable scene and only one memorable performance. The memorable performance is Helen Mirren who brightens up the screen whenever she appears. The rest of the performances are more stereotypes than individual characters. Russell Crowe plays a reporter for a Washington Post stand-in. He looks and act like the stereotypical beat reporter. His best friend is Congressman Ben Affleck who is your standard movie congressional representative (Noble but battling demons.) He is caught in an affair with a now dead staffer and his best friend is on the case. Tagging along with Crowe is neophyte cub reporter Rachel McAdams who Jimmy Olsens it up despite the fact she is a lead blogger at a major national newspaper. Robin Wright Penn plays Affleck’s cuckolded wife and seems to be in a different movie than the rest of the cast. Mirren is the newspapers publisher and gets the films best lines, which she dishes, with aplomb. Everyone else seems to be playing along at half speed. For a thriller there is a strange lack of action or tension. The twists seemed preordained and the characters behave exactly as they are programmed. The film certainly has star power and a big budget but it simply does not seem to know what to do with it. Part of the problem is that it is condensed from a 2003 British mini-series of the same name. Condensing the 300 minutes of plot into 120 or so minutes leaves little room for character development or nuance. The players seem to be quickly checking of plot boxes. The films other big problem is that it is a overwrought love letter to the newspaper business, including groan worthy dialogue about the magnanimous printed fourth estate and an end title sequence that can only be described as porn for publishers. Somewhat entertaining and yet eminently forgettable State of Play is worth a look. Just do not expect that good a time.

A political thriller with all of the right needs: dependable leads (Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams), an interesting script and taunting direction from Kevin Macdonald.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

A slow and boring movie. Russell Crowe's performance is the only redeeming thing about it.