State of Play (2009)
Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams
Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party's contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his resea... (read more) Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party's contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out.
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PG-13, 1 hr. 57 min.
Directed by:
Kevin Macdonald
Release Date: Apr 17, 2009
DVD Release Date: Sep 01, 2009
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Flixster User Reviews
Not a bad adaptation but you wonder whether they could do a better job when they were presented with such a good plot? Average.
Twisting and turning through a political cover-up and conspiracy, this movie kick's ass. Convincing performances make this a gripping movie for anyone that knows anything about the way politicians and reporters act.
This movie is full of twists and a deep plot.
I enjoyed the entire conspiracy theory about the government and private military, certainly a new-age way to captivate the audience.
But the twists and plot became a little bit confusing here and there,... (read more) This movie is full of twists and a deep plot.
I enjoyed the entire conspiracy theory about the government and private military, certainly a new-age way to captivate the audience.
But the twists and plot became a little bit confusing here and there, and some of the dialogue was lost on me.
The ending twist was added just for show I suppose, which simply made this film a hollywood-like suspense.
Nevertheless, I'm sure journalists might enjoy this film for what its worth.
Great movie. I can't believe this wasn't a bigger hit in the theaters. It really kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat.
Great movie. Held me in suspense until the end. A 'bigger' Russell Crowe, I have to say. Not Gladiator 'big' :)
Being adapted from a television series, the film can only feel contrived. The payoff seems less starting than it should be, but the blogging subtext is handled well.
Good acting, good story, but far from a thriller even though is supposed to be one. Lots of twists and the movie needed that because there's a lot of talking with not much emotion. Crowe love and hate relation with McAdams and what she represents (ne... (read more) Good acting, good story, but far from a thriller even though is supposed to be one. Lots of twists and the movie needed that because there's a lot of talking with not much emotion. Crowe love and hate relation with McAdams and what she represents (new communication technology, instant news, dirt stories) could have been a lot more interesting.
Critic Reviews
It's a film in a hurry. In the scant minutes between plot twists, we get treated to bite-size nuggets of character development and a few juicy nibbles of acting from a cast almost universally committed to going large.full review
State of Play does get a little creaky in its last third -- at that point it needs to be more streamlined, more concise. But Macdonald and the screenwriters manage to weave their ideas through a sturdy-enough plot, so we never feel we're being preach... (read more) State of Play does get a little creaky in its last third -- at that point it needs to be more streamlined, more concise. But Macdonald and the screenwriters manage to weave their ideas through a sturdy-enough plot, so we never feel we're being preached tofull review
Explosive political thriller with a top-notch cast keeps you in its grip all the way. Russell Crowe's best performance since "A Beautiful Mind".full review
The chance to explore the swiftly changing culture of Web-age journalism is one of several intriguing possibilities that State of Play squanders.full review
A busy thriller that moves between the worlds of newspapers and politics, Kevin Macdonald's State of Play zips along smoothly.full review
Though it is a well-crafted political thriller, State of Play may actually have more to say about the beleaguered state of print journalism than about governmental shenanigans.full review
A solidly constructed thriller that recalls the paranoid conspiracies of the 1970s.full review
A smart, ingenious thriller set in the halls of Congress and the city room of a newspaper not unlike the Washington Post.full review
If instances of dishonesty, cover-ups and heroic loners seem at all surprising, then you haven't watched TV in the past 30 years -- or the BBC series where State of Play originated.full review
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