When you see a movie about journalism in the modern era that fails to utilize smartphones or the internet, your first thought is “this must be adapted from an old book with lazy modernization.” And wouldn’t you know? State of Play was adapted from…a BBC miniseries from 2003. So what’s its fucking excuse for wasting valuable time trying to get basic information by running and chasing down people when they could have just Google’d something and saved precious hours? Perhaps because there’s nothing suspenseful about heating up a Hot Pocket and sitting in front of a computer, unless you’re fighting for the realm of Azeroth and even then it’s a bit of a stretch unless you’re racing against time before your girlfriend gets home and catches you doing something you said you were quitting for the sake of the relationship. But let’s not dwell on my past failings and talk about this suspense thriller, shall we?
State of Play goes through great lengths to weave a tale that just never seems confident enough in how good it is. The plot is spectacular, with amazing twists and turns that are strong enough to make you say “yeah, the sense of urgency here matches the depth and severity of the scandal,” but it keeps throwing things at you to make the story more complicated for the sake of doing so. It’s like that last quick S-curve just before the end of a roller coaster whose sole purpose is to leave you with whiplash. Regardless, with plenty of betrayal, murder, deceit, and manipulation to go around, this movie is a wild ride that stays thrilling from beginning to end. That being said though, it’s variations in pace is highly noticeable, with very steady inclines here and there mixed in with quick bursts of exposition to reinforce your investment in the overall story. It didn’t really help the film all that much, but it didn’t do a lot to hurt it either.
Heading up the cast is Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams as the investigative journalists and Ben Affleck as the senator in the middle/edge/middle of a series of murders focused around a defense contractor and their plans to get filthy, stinking rich by privatizing Homeland Security. Apparently trying to send a message about political relationships with both contractors and the media, State of Play falls on its face to try and make me “stop and think about my world today,” but as a movie in its own little world, it actually makes for a compelling story.
That’s really pretty much it here. As a thriller drama, it’s all about story. There was fluff between characters. Russell Crowe and the senator’s wife had a fling and that mattered for 5 seconds. Rachel McAdams mattered for about 5 seconds, the trials of holding the press up for hours on end mattered for about 5 seconds and really Play could have done without all of these things, but again, it just wasn’t confident in how good it was so all of this filler footage was easy to sift through.
I’m giving this movie a solid 8 dustbusters out of 10 because it did exactly what it needed to do: keep me interested from the first second and keep me guessing ‘til the last one. I appreciate how there were enough twists that fit in the story well enough that they looked like they were well thought out and enhanced the overall experience. I appreciated the tone and though I had trouble with the pace, there were enough great moments to peak my interest. I’d say this is one that is worth the watch.
And unlike The Firm, the music didn't make me want to cry.
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