State of Play is an average conspiracy theory thriller that is elevated by fine performances and solid suspense. The film is an adaptation of the 2003 BBC series and it is also Kevin Macdonald’s follow up to his critically acclaimed feature film The Last King of Scotland. It doesn’t reach the quality of the BBC series or Macdonald’s previous film, but it is still entertaining.
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The film follows journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), who gets caught way over his head after his old college roommate, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), is involved in a political scandal after his affair with an employee is discovered. As the story unravels Cal and his crack team of journalists discovers that there is more behind this story and they must do all that they can to find out who is behind it.
Ironically the biggest flaw of the film is that it borrows too much from the BBC mini series. The film gets bogged down at times by its overwhelming faithfulness to the series. For example, there’s a scene in the series where Rachel McAdams’ character Della is thrown into distress via gunfire. The carbon copy of that scene in the film lacks the tension of the original series.The screenwriters should have made bigger departures from the series instead of retreating back to the series. The script also is rather standard. It is a conventional story and none of the twist really strike impact as much as they should. Nothing in the film comes off as surprising and the end twist wasn’t done well.
Macdonald doesn’t quite bring along his visual flair from The Last King of Scotland, but this is still a well shot film. He captures Washington D.C. perfectly by never throwing landmarks in your face to show you where you are but instead always keeps things low key. Macdonald certainly knows how to build suspense, never rushing the story. The garage chase scene is crafted nicely which caused the main character come across like he’s actually in danger. The opening sequence also grabs attention immediately and is a high light in the film.
The real standout in the film is the acting. Russell Crowe (Body of Lies) is very likable and sly as Cal, and always fun to watch on screen even when he is doing the average run-of-the-mill journalist scenes. Playing his politician best friend is Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland) who fairs well as Stephen Collins, but his character is unfortunately underdeveloped and not given very much to do. The problem occurs with Robin Wright Penn (What Just Happened?) who co-stars as Mrs. Collins. There’s never a real sense of what is at stake for the Collins, because of the lack of development and exposition. Overseeing all these characters is the great Helen Mirren (The Queen) who is subjected to playing the cliche editor, but due to her performance she is fun to watch. The always likable Rachel McAdams (The Notebook) also does a fantastic job as Cal’s side kick journalist Della. However, the real scene stealer here is Jason Bateman (Hancock) who with only a few minutes on screen truly becomes the highlight of the film providing much needed comic relief.
State of Play ultimately overcomes its story telling with solid acting and memorable suspense. While it should have strayed further away from the BBC series, it stands as a noteworthy film compared to many of the recent thrillers we have been given. The performances are across the board memorable and despite many flaws, the film is engaging.