State of Play
Kevin MacDonald
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Plot Summary
Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast, including Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams & Helen Mirren in the gripping thriller about deception, manipulation & corruption. When D.C. Reporter Cal McCaffrey (Crowe) is assigned to investigate the murder of an assistant to an up-and-coming politician (Affleck), he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to bring down the nation's power structures. In a town of spin-doctors and wealthy power brokers, he will discover one truth: when fortunes are at stake, no one's integrity, love or life is safe. From director Kevin Macdonald of The Last King of Scotland, State of Play brings together strong performances, riveting suspense and is "sophisticated, intelligent and powerful" (Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV).
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Customer Reviews
State of Play
Fantastic movie- full of suspense and surprises. Russel Crowe and Ben Afflec at their best...
Heavyweight... Russell
I mean, why should we find it amusing to pick on an actor simply because they reject the Hollywood sausage machine and instead eat all the sausages - erm..
Russell's girth is perhaps the most exceptional aspect of this film. Aside from Helen Mirren's impersonation of Bill Nighy.. ever wonder why they are never in the same room... Helen really chews the scenery here. The marvellous thing about actors is that they really believe the 2 dimensional characters they inhabit - Mirren's one would disappear in profile.
Crowe stuffs the rest of the movie with his weighty, cheesy-puff devouring self. I rather liked him in this I must say but I'd have liked him a little more buff than the slob he is (in this) - this was the reverse of the Christian Bale method acting, and one which office workers up and down this proud 30% obese country, will feel most connected with.
Opening scene invites a certain promise, am I in for a revisited take on such 70s gems, such as; 'Three Days of the Condor' mingled with 'All the President's Men' with a slab of 'Marathon Man'... I thought. This was quickly answered with a resounding no. The plot is largely mad as a box of frogs from a Congressman crying on TV to the way all the elements link together conveniently.
Look out for the bit where Affleck's character and Crowe's are in a couple of 'photo's' together. It does quite literally look like someone cut their head out of a real photo & stuck it into one made for the movie. There's a couple of these golden photo moments that are well worth the cynicism.
Not bad, not good.
Good entertainment, above average but script lacks sparkle.
Above average.
Crowe, Afflick and Mirren put in solid, well depthed characters but the scripting leaves only glimpses of what their histories are. Adams provides a good bushy-eyed reporter, although missing some opportunities to the character - again script based. Daniels character needed more authority. The film itself allows you to get engrossed but fails to deliver that last inch to suspend belief.
Great film for entertainment on a friday night, not as deep as My Beautiful mind or Good Night and Good Luck.
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