State of Play is three-quarters of a good film that sets itself up as a very intriguing thriller, but it gets bogged down with too many plot threads and an attempt to tackle too many issues only to cop out and never really say anything. The film, however, is not a complete loss and manages to remain entertaining throughout, just not to the extent it could have had they streamlined it just a bit more.
Based on the six-part BBC mini-series of the same name State of Play has an impressive list of filmmakers and talent involved. The script was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom) and then touched up by Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Identity) and Billy Ray (Breach). In the director’s chair is Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) and the actors include a fleet of names even the most casual moviegoer is sure to recognize.
In the lead is Russell Crowe as “Washington Globe” old school media representative and investigative reporter Cal McAffrey. McAffrey hits the pavement, checks his sources and gets the story straight the first time. He works the D.C. beat and everyone seems to know him, but his loyalties are about to be called into question as college buddy turned U.S. Congressman, Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), finds himself in a bit of trouble thanks to the assumed suicide of one his staff on the eve of a Congressional hearing in which Collins plans on taking on PointCorp, a private military firm (think Blackwater) who appears to be involved in some seriously shady dealings.
The story gets twisted when we learn Collins was having an affair with the dead woman and the sexual aspects of the story get more twisted when we learn McAffrey had an affair with Collins’ wife (Robin Wright Penn) some time in the past. For the moment, however, the past is in the past and McAffrey sets out to do his part as a professional journalist all while finding himself drawing conclusions in support of his old friend. This covers the corporate and public official misconduct and introduces us to the old media angle, which is when Della Frye enters the picture.
Frye (Rachel McAdams) is an online blogger for the “Globe” and McAffrey’s icy approach to the young go-getter makes it obvious just what he thinks of Internet journalism. This doesn’t stop him, though, from taking her under his wing for this story, partially as a power play to show the newbie how it’s done, but also as a way of getting a few of the more mundane tasks taken care of while he — oh, I don’t know — has drinks with Stephen’s wife.
As it turns out, everything offered up early on is great. I love films with a good corporate scandal and the politics involved just made it that much better. The new media versus old media angle was introduced very well as neither character was so slimy you felt one was better than the other allowing the facts of the matter to draw the line as opposed to character flaws.
Where the film loses its footing is in its numerous plot threads and its one-too-many attempts to stay ahead of the audience. Once the plot hits its peak and people have been fired upon and adjacent hotel room occupants have been beaten up the film is on a ticking clock. McAffrey is faced with a deadline to get the facts and the story written and all the logic used early on is lost in the final moments as the loose ends are tied up with reckless abandon. I will admit to not seeing the final plot twist coming, but that’s because it shouldn’t have ever come as it messed up the pacing and only seemed to serve as one last gotcha moment.
On the acting side, Crowe is great as McAffrey, in a role originally intended for Brad Pitt. Crowe’s performance benefit from the added weight he put on for Body of Lies and his never washed appearance gave him a beneficial in-the-trenches look. There was a vulnerability to his character that Crowe embodied, especially during a fantastic foot chase scene. The fact Pitt was once attached, along with Edward Norton in the Affleck role, shows how different this film could have been, and quite frankly I am not sure it would have worked the other way around.
Along with Crowe, another strong performance comes from the always-reliable Jason Bateman, this time playing a greasy D.C. publicist named Dominic Foy who plays into the heart of the storyline. Foy’s outward appearance seems to contradict his capabilities as soon as you meet him and it serves the story well the more time he has on screen. It’s a solid showing and it’s why Bateman keeps getting cast in these supporting roles; I just wonder if one day he will be recognized for one of his performances or given the chance at a leading role.
When State of Play is good, it’s really good, but there are those moments where you can tell they are trying to fit six hours of an acclaimed miniseries into a 127 minute thriller. It makes way for clichés toward the end and while it allows the audience member to come to some of their own conclusions I felt it bailed out on really delivering a message, which it really owed the audience after all the doors it opened. We are used to this in our movies, but with the way this one started it really let me down in the final moments.
