His Take/Her Take: State Of Play

Worth the price of admission, or a waste of time? Brian McKechnie and Suzanne Ellis offer you their take on the latest movies hitting screens. Read their reviews every week, exclusively on CityNews.ca.

Let Brian and Suzanne know what you think of His Take/Her Take via email at brian.mckechnie@citynews.ca or suzanne.ellis@citynews.ca .

STATE OF PLAY

Rated PG-13
Cast: Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
Official Site IMDb

A team of newspaper reporters investigates the murder of a congressman’s mistress in this intense political thriller based on the 2003 six-part UK television series.

Brian’s Take

*** out of 5 stars

When it comes to the political thriller genre nothing can beat All the President’s Men . The 1976 Dustin Hoffman/Robert Redford film based on the Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein busting the White House cover-up of Watergate has lived up over the years and is still studied by budding journalists today. State of Play comes close to being just as good as All the President’s Men thanks to a strong script, directing and cast.

To start with State of Play could have one of the best ensemble casts of the year. Russell Crowe stars as seasoned newspaper reporter Cal McAffey. He’s been around the block and seems to be known by everyone from police to politicians. The great thing about Crowe is that you forget all his other films instantly and only see him as Cal McAffey. Toronto’s own Rachel McAdams kicks off her first of three films this year ( The Time Traveler’s Wife and Sherlock Holmes to follow) with a sincere portrayal of Della Frye, a fresh reporter who works for the paper’s website. McAdams really holds her own with Crowe and their on-screen banter is great to watch. Ben Affleck, who has had a very hit and miss career, gives his best performance to date as a big congressmen (and friend of Cal McAffey) who is at the center of the scandal the movie revolves around. I’d be surprised if we don’t hear Affleck’s name at next year’s Oscar nominations. The rest of the cast is rounded out by Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman (who gives a brief but memorable performance).

The one issue I did have with the film is that it’s very cliched at times (Crowe is the stereotypical slobby, single, reporter who drives a bad car). Some of the lines feel straight out of other thrillers (“You now have blood on your hands.” a detective tells McAdams at one point). These problems don’t ruin the film but they definitely won’t make it a classic. Overall the film is solid and if you’re up for a thriller that won’t make you feel stupid, State of Play won’t disappoint.

Suzanne’s Take

*** out of 5 stars

I love a political thriller if it’s done well – the trouble is, so many aren’t ( Air Force One, anybody?). Thankfully, State of Play is a taut, gripping film buoyed by good writing and strong performances, notably that of Russell Crowe as seasoned newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey.

Like him or hate him, Crowe is one of the finest actors working today and he fits the role of the cynical, his-way-or-the-highway journo perfectly. His McAffrey, a writer for the Washington Globe, is a bit puffy in the jowls and around the middle (the result of too many late night chili dogs while finishing up assignments, no doubt), his apartment is as much of a mess as his desk, and he never misses an opportunity to make a wry remark to a source, a police officer, or his ever-frustrated editor Cameron Lynne (the always brilliant Helen Mirren).

When U.S. Senator Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) finds himself embroiled in a scandal over an apparently murdered colleague, McAffrey finds himself in a moral quandary – get the story, or try to protect Collins, his good friend and former college roommate.

Keeping McAffrey honest, or trying to, is newbie Globe blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), who has her own theories on Collins and has no qualms about publishing them online. When McAffrey begins to suspect his friend is being set up in a potential corporate conspiracy he enlists Frye to help him get the story.

State of Play succeeds in a number of ways – first and foremost, the writing. This is possibly the worst genre for hackneyed writing, and Matthew Michael Carnahan and Tony Gilroy manage to keep things fresh overall, with a few exceptions (Ben Affleck’s Collins growling, “I trusted you!” being one major groaner).

The acting is spot-on, as well. Crowe and Mirren shine, Affleck doesn’t offend, McAdams holds her own, and Robin Wright Penn offers a lovely turn as Stephen Collins’s long-suffering wife Anne. But the true surprise here has to be Jason Bateman as a sleazy PR rep. He’s only in the movie for about 10 minutes, but in that time he almost steals it from his Oscar-winning co-stars.

Director Kevin Macdonald has built up an impressive resume over the years, with films including Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland, and the Klaus Barbie doc My Enemy’s Enemy. State of Play is undoubtedly his most commercial venture yet, but it works.

It’s interesting in 2009 to see a film where a newspaper reporter is the star, given today’s shifting media landscape and there are several references to that in the film – McAffrey grouses at one point that he’s working on an ancient desktop computer while his blogger colleague gets the latest, greatest tech gear. Will the Della Fryes of the world be starring in these films in years to come? Are the McAffreys becoming obsolete? Only time will tell.