State Of Play

This was a good enough film, but I had memories of the original version so was a bit disappointed, not taking credit away for the good acting in the film.

A superb thriller, some great twists and an excellent cast. Never a dull moment in this movie.

Old School political Conspiracy thriller, it had me hooked from beginning to end. Twist and turns all the way though.
Never seen the original BBC drama, so cant compare. This was a well made slick affair though. And not too many gadgets were used, which made a nice change.
Very good Performances from Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren. And Jason Bateman was brilliant in his cameo.
Very entertaining few hours. Recommended

The story is generally well written, although not completely original or unique in the current cinema world with so many politics related thrillers being released, but this has a special feel to it and keeps you interested throughout.
The story is quite complex, there's a number of names, links and contacts, there's a lot to remember and a lot to think about. It's a movie you must watch in one sitting, and you can't afford to blink because if you do you might just miss something.
The directing is done in such a way it adds to the suspence, and builds a great tension which makes this thriller work.
The story gives you a little bit of insight into the world of politics, business and the life of a journalist.
The slight downside of this movie is the character building moments, the parts where the viewer is supposed to learn more about the characters, it's not entirely neccessary and at times feels a little like filler.

Overall: This is a well crafted thriller, it gets your juices flowing from the outset and gives you enough to sink your teeth into. The story is complex but makes for a great ending with a number of twists which just seem to keep on coming.
Keep your eyes glued to the screen for this one as you're in for a Great Ride

This movie is a convincing thriller and encompasses elements of Political intrigue, murder and newspaper dialogue making the story most believable and realistic. The Washington Globe Newspaper sets the scene; as a result newspaper journalism is so essential to the story of this film. Every small detail contributes significantly to the roots of the film as a whole and it is this attention to detail that lifts "State of Play" above the average political thriller. The film starts out when Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) a congressman who is heading up a government enquiry into a shady military supply company, is informed that his mistress has committed suicide on the underground subway. Clearly distressed and emotionally upset, unable to continue his chairing of the meeting at the investigation, triggers off a media frenzy, both live in the courtroom and on a Television broadcast. Seasoned reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) was his close friend in college, and the two remained friends throughout the years. Congressman Collins displays his philosophy throughout the film, but that sense of morality is largely cloaked in secrets and mystery, leaving the viewers endlessly speculating on his true objective. In a bid to nullify the political onslaught of junior reporter Della Fry (Rachel McAdams), McAffrey sets out to find the truth about the story. He uses his friendship with Stephen Collins to gain exclusive first rights before the rest of the newspaper world.

The film is an intense edge of the seat thriller, and although the dialogue at times is heavily driven from a political and journalistic aspect, the tension and suspense is fantastic and as the film progresses the outstanding cast and the pressroom scenes add to the reality. Helen Mirren plays the role of Cameron Lynne the Washington Globe Editor and is simply fantastic. She plays an unyielding Editor and is never concerned in bringing McAffrey down to earth and letting him know who will have the last word on newspaper protocol. Ben Affleck once again proves that he can act when given the right character material. He gives his personality an air of isolated conceit and arrogance mixed with frustrated weakness.

Russell Crowe appears a suitably dishevelled journalist and he glides into his role perfectly. He is obstinate, and his ethically questionable tactics bring him into frequent conflict with his editor. As his junior reporter on the story, Rachel McAdams delivers a stellar role, giving her character a very lively, yet naive flavour and the two of them blend well together.

Like all good thrillers it twists, and weaves between scenes, the script is highly intelligent, consequently making the duration of the film full of intrigue and mystery never yielding a moment to boredom.

I loved this film for the acting and the content. A political thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through. There are so many twists and turns. Superbly acted by all involved.

This can only be seen as a more grown up thriller than all the CGI based mindblowing action films we usually enjoy. Based on the BBC mini series converted into hollywood melodrama i thought that this would be a waste of time but it actually proved to be a highly enjoyable piece of work. Russell Crowe gives his best performance for some time and is well supported by Ben Affleck, Amy Adams and Helen Mirren as this has as many twists and turns than anyone can anticipate and is nice and slick to keep you hooked. Enjoy

This film was one of the best that i saw in 2009.
A thriller with plenty of twists and turns, there is a new twist every few minutes and not really any down time in the movie keeping you hooked throughout.Also the acting is spot on from all the big names in this movie.
Would happily pay 15 quid for this dvd, so an absolute bargain at it's current price of 5.99.

I loved the TV series this was based on, but at first sight when finding Hollywood had adapted the UK based mini-series to a feature length movie and moved the location to the U.S.A. I was horrified, as the first concerns that sprang to mind was how much can you dumb down a mini-series to fit into a two hour time slot, and now basing it in America was another insult.
I can hold my hand up and say I was wrong, as State Of Play is the best political thriller of the year, and none of the mini-series sharp edge has been lost. Infact the two hour running time makes the unfolding story seem even more urgent. Russell Crowe yet again proves he is one of the best actors on the planet, it's also good to see the much underrated Ben Affleck show he has resurfaced as a very good actor as he always promised to be. Again Rachael McAddams shows her potential to be one of Hollywoods leading ladies, as she stands her own against the acting and also looking at his expanding waist line, phisical weight of Russell Crowe. Justin Bateman also pops up and shows he is always good in anything you put him in, and makes us forget his early ventures into movies with the terrible Teen Wolf Too, but it's Helen Mirren who steals every scene as the cheif editor of the news paper about to be the whistle blower on the political corruption story of the decade. The plot is great, as it twist and turns and never puts a foot wrong. The suspense through out the film is gripping and is superbly well handeled in the Assassin in a parking lot sequence, sure this has been done many of times in hundreds of movies, but rarley with such style. Also the sound track to the film is great, with a guitar riff that pumps along the tension to brilliant effect.
State of Play is a film you must see if you want something to think about during and after the movie as ended, and it does certainly stand up to repeated viewing.
Brilliant Intelligent movie making!

love this film a must buy. it just keeps you hooked