State Of Play: MSN Review

Pitt was replaced at the eleventh hour by Russell Crowe, luxuriantly coiffed and elegantly shabby as an old-school journalist who stumbles upon a massive conspiracy. Shifting the action from London to Capitol Hill, State Of Play examines the political fallout caused by the apparent suicide of a top congressman’s beautiful aide.

Said congressman (a blank Ben Affleck, replacing the originally cast Edward Norton) just happens to be an old college buddy of Russell’s rumpled reporter, who just happened to have an affair with his disappointed wife (Robin Wright Penn). It’s a tangled web, and our hero is naturally forced to choose between his personal commitments and the demands of the ever growing scoop.

 

Exclusive Russell Crowe Interview

State Of Play places a lot of emphasis on authenticity. The newsroom of the fictional Washington Globe (“Now a Mediacorp company”, a sign in the lobby advises) is a marvel of well researched detail, and director Kevin McDonald has some fun with the rivalry between inky-fingered hacks like Crowe and the new generation of online bloggers, represented by Rachel McAdams’s sparky cub reporter.

 

However, look beyond the set dressing and you’ll find a thoroughly traditional Hollywood view of journalism, with little of the sleaze implicit in Paul Abbott’s TV series. Crowe’s crime reporter regards deadlines as minor distractions, and rarely stoops so low as to actually write some copy. He’s even got a curmudeonly old goose of an editor with a heart of gold (Helen Mirren, channelling Bill Nighy) who reluctantly supports him in the face of pressure from the suits upstairs.

Despite a disturbing resemblance to Justin Lee Collins, Crowe is a reassuringly warm presence at the heart of the movie, convincingly hard-nosed yet easily scared by the prospect of actual violence. Director Kevin McDonald shoots the plentiful action in a handsome 1970s style that’s reminiscent of those grand conspiracy theorists John Frankenheimer and Alan Pakula.

The compression of a six hour plot into a two hour movie inevitably leaves a few logic holes, especially in the rather messy, semi-resolved climax, but there is enough adrenaline and intelligence in the journey to make its destination forgiveable. In all, it’s a treat for fans of old school paranoia movies.

 

Intelligent, fast and thrilling - can Kevin McDonald miss?

 

 

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