State of Play
- Directed by: Kevin MacDonald
- Starring: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, Josh Mostel, Michael Weston, Barry Shabaka Henley, Viola Davis
- Genre: Dramas
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Rating:
- Rating Reason: for some violence, language including sexual references, and brief drug content
- Theater Release: 04/17/2009
- Video Release: 09/01/2009
- Run Time: 2hr 8min
Synopsis
A political conspiracy lies at the heart of this film starring Oscar winners Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, and Helen Mirren. A reporter (Crowe) in the nation's capital discovers a mess of lies when the mistress of a congressman (Affleck) is murdered. Kevin Macdonald (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) directs this thriller based on the BBC miniseries of the same name.
A political conspiracy lies at the heart of this film starring Oscar winners Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, and Helen Mirren. A reporter (Crowe) in the nation's capital discovers a mess of lies when the mistress of a congressman (Affleck) is murdered. Kevin Macdonald (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) directs this thriller based on the BBC miniseries of the same name.
Distributor Notes
Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast, including Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams & Helen Mirren in the blistering thriller about deception, manipulation & corruption.
When D.C. Reporter Cal McCaffrey (Crowe) is assigned to investigate the murder of an assistant to an up-and-coming politician (Affleck), he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to bring down the nation’s power structures. In a town of spin-doctors and wealthy power brokers, he will discover one truth: when fortunes are at stake, no one’s integrity, love or life is safe.
From director Kevin Macdonald of The Last King of Scotland, State of Play brings together gripping performances, riveting suspense and is “sophisticated, intelligent and powerful” (Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV).
Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast, including Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams & Helen Mirren in the blistering thriller about deception, manipulation & corruption.
When D.C. Reporter Cal McCaffrey (Crowe) is assigned to investigate the murder of an assistant to an up-and-coming politician (Affleck), he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to bring down the nation’s power structures. In a town of spin-doctors and wealthy power brokers, he will discover one truth: when fortunes are at stake, no one’s integrity, love or life is safe.
From director Kevin Macdonald of The Last King of Scotland, State of Play brings together gripping performances, riveting suspense and is “sophisticated, intelligent and powerful” (Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV).
Reviews
"[T]his efficient, admirably coherent thriller about reporters digging down to where politics and murder meet in Washington, D.C., has a wistful air about it..." (Variety)
3 stars out of 5 -- "STATE OF PLAY is a smart, ingenious thriller set in the halls of Congress and the city room of a newspaper not unlike the Washington Post." (Chicago Sun-Times)
“Take ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, add liberal doses of potboiler melodrama and existential journalist angst, and you’ve got the foundation for STATE OF PLAY...” (Movieline)
3 stars out of 4 -- "[A] well-crafted political thriller....Several high-caliber performances give the film its vibrancy, under the capable direction of Kevin Macdonald. Crowe is excellent, and Helen Mirren is superb..." (USA Today)
"STATE OF PLAY features handsome production and terrific performances....Mirren has some especially choice moments..." (Washington Post)
"Macdonald and his cast shepherd STATE OF PLAY through a number of surprising twists and turns..." -- Grade: B- (A.V. Club)
3 stars out of 5 -- "[Crowe delivers] a performance of grizzled credibility as a newspaper journalist....STATE OF PLAY is, more than a topical alarm bell, an efficient, pulsating exercise in thriller mechanics." (Box Office)
4 stars out of 4 -- "This is a smart script...[with] a wealth of twists..." (Premiere)
3 stars out of 4 -- "It's juicy stuff, made juicier by the actors....STATE OF PLAY keeps the twists coming." (Rolling Stone)
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] storming thriller....The fesity veteran/rookie relationship is made believable thanks to the actors' spot-on chemistry..." (Total Film)
"Crowe is fantastic as a grizzled, old-school D.C. reporter....The story's twists and switchbacks keep coming." -- Grade: A- (Entertainment Weekly)
"[T]his efficient, admirably coherent thriller about reporters digging down to where politics and murder meet in Washington, D.C., has a wistful air about it..." (Variety)
3 stars out of 5 -- "STATE OF PLAY is a smart, ingenious thriller set in the halls of Congress and the city room of a newspaper not unlike the Washington Post." (Chicago Sun-Times)
“Take ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, add liberal doses of potboiler melodrama and existential journalist angst, and you’ve got the foundation for STATE OF PLAY...” (Movieline)
3 stars out of 4 -- "[A] well-crafted political thriller....Several high-caliber performances give the film its vibrancy, under the capable direction of Kevin Macdonald. Crowe is excellent, and Helen Mirren is superb..." (USA Today)
"STATE OF PLAY features handsome production and terrific performances....Mirren has some especially choice moments..." (Washington Post)
"Macdonald and his cast shepherd STATE OF PLAY through a number of surprising twists and turns..." -- Grade: B- (A.V. Club)
3 stars out of 5 -- "[Crowe delivers] a performance of grizzled credibility as a newspaper journalist....STATE OF PLAY is, more than a topical alarm bell, an efficient, pulsating exercise in thriller mechanics." (Box Office)
4 stars out of 4 -- "This is a smart script...[with] a wealth of twists..." (Premiere)
3 stars out of 4 -- "It's juicy stuff, made juicier by the actors....STATE OF PLAY keeps the twists coming." (Rolling Stone)
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] storming thriller....The fesity veteran/rookie relationship is made believable thanks to the actors' spot-on chemistry..." (Total Film)
"Crowe is fantastic as a grizzled, old-school D.C. reporter....The story's twists and switchbacks keep coming." -- Grade: A- (Entertainment Weekly)
