State of Play Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: April 27th, 2009

As someone who writes for a daily website covering the business end of Hollywood, I’m fully aware of the unspoken tension brewing in journalism’s digital divide.  Newspaper reporters criticize bloggers for running rumors or disregarding the rules of the trade, while the other side fires back at the media conglomerates throwing their reputation around for spoon-fed filler.  State of Play humanizes the struggles of a splintered format as a team of reporters dig deeper into a dangerous conspiracy.

Oscar-winning director Kevin McDonald deftly adapts the BBC mini-series into a tightly woven, compelling story packed to the margins with timely material.  The minutiae of every discovery in the six hour episodes have been trimmed away, leaving the meaty, intriguing center.  It’s cinematic re-telling incorporates relevant topics like the privatization of homeland security, the cost of doing business in politics, and especially the dwindling state of journalism.

The death of a congressional staffer unveils a secret affair she was having with a key congressman, Representative Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).  If it bleeds it leads, but the scandal sparks a media frenzy in what unfortunately resembles modern journalism.  A flurry of TV personalities repeat unsubstantiated claims, so eager to be first or attention grabbing that they lack credibility or accountability.  Tucked away from the hysteria is a Washington Globe reporter torn between his personal relationship with the congressman, his past affair with Anne Collins (Robin Wright Penn), and the lure of an exclusive story.

Cal McCaffrey (Russell Crowe) is a grizzled, veteran member of the press corps, trading favors for inside info and scraping together articles from unnamed sources.  He represents the type of investigative journalism that is becoming a rarity these days, a legitimate check on the balance of power between business and government.  McCaffrey isn’t concerned with bylines or becoming a talking head, he’s only interested in the facts that build the strongest story, by whatever means necessary.  In one scene Della Freye (Rachel McAdams), an amateur blogger who churns copy for the website, asks him, “Did we just break the law?”  Cal responds, “No, that’s just what you call damn fine reporting.”

What starts as a bitter slant piece on the hasty, opinionated nature of blogging evolves into a collaboration between online reporting and the fading profession of print journalism.  It captures the progressive passing of the proverbial torch as newspaper reporting goes the way of Gutenberg’s printing press and the immediacy of the Internet prevails.  But the script keys in the importance of traditional tenets like fact checking, chasing leads, and solid sources; principles that separate the respected members of the medium from the tabloids.

It’s a testament to the brilliant writing trio of Carnahan, Gilroy, and Ray that I was able to fill a review with just one aspect of a complex plot.  However I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the corporate influences pressing on the various characters.  Clever signage juxtaposes the Media Corp conglomerate that has purchased the Globe (and McCaffrey’s paycheck) with PointCorps, a Blackwater-type company fighting a political battle with Collins and his colleagues for a bigger piece of the defense pie.  Each man diligently attempts to do his duty while corporations force unwavering deadlines.

With characters so well written its no wonder that the performances are top notch.  Russell Crowe is as solid as ever, acting his way into another great role for himself that carries the weight of a heavy film.  Supporting their fair share of the load are McAdams and Helen Mirren, who is underused yet pivotal as the Globe’s managing editor.  Affleck, who usually takes flack for his career choices, is surprisingly good in what might be his best to date.  Bit parts are filled with the talents of Wright Penn, Jeff Daniels, and Jason Bateman, who round out an all-star cast.

State of Play is an intelligent drama that is rewarding to the careful observer willing to piece together the puzzle themselves.  It’s perhaps one of the most intricate adult films since Michael Clayton and the best representation of the profession since All the President’s Men.

4.5 out of 5.