State of Play

Copyright 2009, Universal Pictures

After much ballyhoo about the original stars of the political thriler State of Play jumping ship (they were Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, for those keeping count), the movie's finally been released with two just-as-able leading men in the roles, Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. Having not seen the six-hour British miniseries on which this American remake is based, I can't speak to this film's success in changing the story around for those of us in the States; I can say, though, that this is a tightly wound, suspenseful thriller with some good surprises and strong performances. That State of Play's final message is a bit tone-deaf is a more minor problem than you might think.

First of all, I cannot say enough how wise a choice it is to cast Crowe as the main character, rusty journalist Cal McAffrey. Brad Pitt, who I presume would've played this role, wouldn't have been anything close to right for this role. First of all, though Pitt's 45, he looks far younger and doesn't seem to have the right sensibility to play a journalist whose entire life is a mess, inside and out. Crowe fits the profile better and sells each scene very well. Norton, who would've played Congressman Stephen Collins, a straight-arrow from Pennsylvania, probably wouldn't have had any problem getting into character, though.

I say all of this mostly to boost up Crowe and Affleck, who are both solid and charismatic in State of Play. In some ways, this kind of plot isn't too unfamiliar to most of us (I equate it to a good paperback novel you read on a long airplane trip), but I was sold on most of the surprises. Sure, I probably should have figured things out a little quicker than I did. However, being so completely in the dark about, at least, the final twist made Cal and his sidekick, political blogger Della Frye (Rachael McAdams), easier to believe when they were equally surprised.

The plot revolves around the mysterious presumed suicide of a researcher on Collins' staff who he had an affair with. Is her death connected to the Blackwater-esque contractor the congressman is trying to bring to justice? McAffrey spends most of the movie trying to investigate the death and two seemingly unrelated murders that end up, of course, as big pieces of the puzzle. Frye's along for the ride after sticking her nose into McAffrey's story; they're hounded by the editor of their paper, the Washington Globe, played wonderfully by Helen Mirren. What works better in this film than the somewhat old-fashioned plot machinations is the atmosphere created by director Kevin MacDonald and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto. Also, I want to throw some kudos out for the editor of State of Play, Justine Wright, who corrals a potentially wide-ranging story into a suspenseful and slick two-hour film.

The best thing about the script, by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, and Billy Ray, is the relationships that are already in progress by the time the movie starts. Usually, thanks to awkward line readings or a lack of chemistry among actors, such relationships fall flat but when we see Cal interacting with his fellow journalists (played by Michael Weston and Josh Mostel), it feels real. Crowe purely embodies a journalist, and these two guys are absolutely real as his cohorts. The worst thing about the script--maybe just the most misguided--is the message that sneaks through the entire movie and ends up being the biggest point MacDonald makes. I'll boil it down for you: New media bad! Old media good! Though Della's a blogger, she ends up believing that this story should be solely printed in newspapers. A major portion of the end credits play over a montage of how a newspaper ends up being created in a nearby warehouse, from the printing press to the delivery truck.

That montage, though, just proves the opposite of the film's message. When a story as the one that breaks at the end of State of Play is as important as it is, why would you want to waste hours of time on publishing the story in an actual paper as opposed to sending it to the masses online? The newspaper business is, in its print form, falling by the wayside. Also, as pointed out by my wife, wouldn't the story just go online anyway? More people are likely to read such a story online. Investigative reporting is important, but it can be important in any form and the quickest one to access (also the cheapest) will win.

Despite that montage (which is well-shot and edited) and the overall message, State of Play is an efficient and entertaining thriller with some great performances (as a sleazy PR agent, Jason Bateman steals the show). Just ignore that last scene.