State of Play |  | Actors: Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Harry J. Lennix
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $2.73
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Rating:  91 reviews
Sales Rank: 1441
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 127 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 61104845
UPC: 025195040075
EAN: 0025195040075
ASIN: B002DU39GW
Theatrical Release Date: 2009
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A TEAM OF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS WORK ALONGSIDE A POLICE DETECTIVE TO TRY TO SOLVE THE MURDER OF A CONGRESSMAN'S MISTRESS.
Amazon.com
The superlative British miniseries becomes a smart, soap opera-free film courtesy of The Last King of Scotland's Kevin Macdonald. His writers, including Tony Gilroy (the Bourne series) and Billy Ray (Breach), haven't simply condensed and Americanized the six-hour series--they've reinvented it. Now set in Washington D.C., veteran journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe, replacing Brad Pitt, who dropped out over script changes) still collaborates with editor Cameron Lynne (a delectably imperious Helen Mirren) and junior reporter Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) on a story involving Cal's politico pal, Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), but there's a new subtext behind their plunge into sex scandals and corporate malfeasance, since this State of Play also eulogizes old-school beat reporting, and in interviews, Macdonald has acknowledged the influence of newsprint classics like All the President's Men (the Watergate Hotel even shows up as a location). So, while Cal and Della, the Globe’s blogger, try to determine whether the congressman’s aide Sonia (with whom he was having an affair) died at her own hands or the hands of another, they're also fighting for their careers and the survival of their ailing paper. Stephen's political rival Senator Fergus (Jeff Daniels), does his best to stymie their efforts, but PR flack Dominic Foy (Jason Bateman) becomes a reluctant ally. Though fans of the series may miss a few characters, like Cameron's son (played by James McAvoy in the BBC version), Oscar-winning documentarian-turned-filmmaker Macdonald remains true to its spirit. Be sure to stay through the poignant end credits, during which he returns to his doc roots. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Stills from State of Play (Click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 91
Good, but the original BBC mini-series was epic, seminal television February 5, 2010
Andy Orrock (Dallas, TX)
'State of Play' is a nice, little movie in its own right. Problem is, it's not a movie in its own right: it owes its heritage - and closely hews - (with some Americanization and some updating for the times) to the original BBC mini-series envisioned and written by Paul Abbott and directed by David Yates. And THAT - State of Play (BBC Miniseries) - was epic television. Running for six consecutive weekends on Sunday nights here in the States, I felt adrift and bereft once the series was over.
Now, think about condensing 350 minutes of never-flagging material into a traditional two-hour film and you realize how much of the richness of the tale had to have been cast over the side. One example: James McAvoy - almost an unknown as the original aired - has a big, meaty part as a cub newspaper reporter. In the mini-series, this character is the one who helps break the part of the story involving 'Dominic'. In the US version McAvoy's character is a dude in a baseball cap who sits around the newsroom and gets a couple of lines.
Still, there are things to like about this movie: Russell Crowe is very believable as an investigative reporter; Rachel McAdams always picks and excels in quality projects (and that holds true here); Ben Affleck does good work as a Congressman; Helen Mirren is good (and good to look at - radiant here as always); and Robin Wright Penn is winning in her role as the scorned political spouse (lots of recent role models to choose from).
But in almost all those cases, the original British actor rocked the house with the role, mostly because they had so much darn material to work with. In order, from the list I provided above, the originals were John Simm, Kelly Macdonald, David Morrissey, the great Bill Nighy, and Polly Walker. Is the career of John Simm going to measure up to Russell Crowe's? Probably not. But John Simm is Cal McCaffery - he owns the role, as does Bill Nighy that of the newspaper editor in a way that Helen Mirren cannot...not because of any shortcoming on her part (she's the great Helen Mirren), but because she's simply not given enough to work with over two hours. This is a six-hour tale.
 love the plot twists February 2, 2010
K. S. Fries
We don't buy a lot of videos after we watch them-once is usually enough- but this has been added to our library. Russell Crowe fills the journalist role so completely, reminding me of the typical hard-driving journalist with a nose for news and a golden pen who can barely make himself publicly presentable and pushes on for the truth of a story even as it promises to bring down those closest to him. The charmingly corrupt politician is played well by Ben Affleck and is food for thought regarding the self-destruction of a political career.
Eventful!!!!!!! January 30, 2010
Shell D (Kingston, JA)
I liked this film, it started off at a very good pace and as the story line built you had a lot of twist and turns. The outcome is different and unpredictable.
A good time January 23, 2010
RGW
The movie is exciting and interesting. Better than I expected with a twist.
Good Thriller, Too Many Stereotypes, Interesting Old Media vs. New Media Sub-theme January 15, 2010
bronx book nerd (Bronx, NY USA)
State of Play is a good thriller that combines mystery and suspense and pulls a big and credible surprise at the end. Russel Crowe plays the old school newspaper reporter whose former roommate, best friend and now Congressman Ben Affleck finds himself in deep trouble after a series of negative events involving one of his staff. Crowe and Affleck are excellent in their respective roles, the former providing another strong performance and the latter continuing to revive his career after his disastrous relationship with J-Lo. The Congressman is in the middle of taking on the defense department's largest contractor (a fictional subsititute for the Blackwater Corporation) and their increasingly lucrative contracts. This confrontation mirrors the current and real concerns about these expanding contracts and potentially illegal actions of these contractors.
Rachel McAdams overdoes her role a bit at first, as she plays the Washington Post's political blogger (and represents the new online media). She is cocky and confident, and willing to post blogs with serious conclusions and repercussions based on relatively flimsy reporting. Crowe, on the other hand, is old school and covers every nook and cranny and follows every lead before publishing a piece. As Crowe and McAdams join forces to tackle the ever more complicated intersection of Affleck's character and his investigation of the defense contractor, Crowe becomes McAdams' mentor and guide, showing her how to properly conduct investigative journalism. At the end, old and new media triumph as they work cohesively together. Who knows how much this reflects current or future reality.
The stereotypes come in the traits and behavior of Crowe as the old media rep (messy apartment; messy, long-haired look); McAdams as the new media rep (cocky and overconfident); Helen Mirren's character as the head of the Washington Post (stern yet compassionate, with her English accent thrown in to provide a sense of aristrocacy); Domininc Foy as the deranged killer/hitman (psychotic with no nuances). In fact, Foy's character was more of a caricature than a stereotype.
Having said all that, State of Play is sufficiently sophisticated and subtle to succesfully carry the sense of mystery and suspense that makes the movie work on a larger scale.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 91
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