Some thrillers are only as good as their twists, which can make or break films. Every M. Night film falls into this category, notably The Village which is utterly ruined by its gimmick. State of Play seems to be the opposite – it continues to work despite the predictability of its twist. It’s not a particularly bad one and works within the context of its story, although it is too easy to see. There’s no real surprise when one of the characters pieces everything together; rather, there’s just “It took them this long to figure it out?!” But again, State of Play works in spite of its twists and is a really solid thriller.
The script Hollywood political gurus Matthew Michael Carnahan, Billy Ray, and Tony Gilroy have crafted is intelligent and gives us some really well-defined and likable characters. Unlike Gilroy’s recent effort, it never tries too hard to over-complicate itself and lets us enjoy how interesting it is. The laughs are enjoyable and don’t feel forced amidst the tightly-written thriller we’re treated to. Both the script and Kevin Macdonald’s direction engage you and keep you on your toes. Macdonald handles everything well, complimenting the already great script with some really good suspense. For instance, a scene in a parking garage where Russell Crowe’s Cal McAffery is on the run from Robert Bingham (Michael Berresse) rivets you into your seat. He also handles the relationships between the characters very well, giving professionalism, not sexuality, to McAffery’s encounters with Rachel McAdams’ Della Frye. So many films felt the need to give us at least a kiss, but Macdonald and company are a bit smarter than that.
As expected, the ensemble cast is absolutely stellar. Russell Crowe gives his best performance in years as Cal McAffery. He’s not gruff n’tuff like his appearance suggests, but rather dedicated to his job and not in it for the big story. In some ways he’s the heart of the film and he’s completely up to the task (helping his case is that his character is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, so that already won me over). Complimenting him is McAdams’ Della Frye as the Washington Globe’s blogger. There’s a subtle touch to their relationship which is in their appearances. McAffery is unkempt and scraggly, representing he old-fashioned way of reporting while Della has more of the clean, sweetheart look that represents the new school. The big thing, though, is McAdams and Crowe mesh like clockwork and have a believable relationship. One could look at how Frye’s handled in the beginning and say, “Yep, I’ve been there.”
Helen Mirren is as you expect her to be as Cameron Lynne, and the film is better for it. Her role doesn’t feel stereotypical until the end of the picture, but Mirren, again, has good chemistry with Crowe. Robin Wright Penn wants everyone to know she’s still alive and is great as Senator Stephen Collins’ (Affleck) wife Anne. Jeff Daniels makes a return as Collins’ aide and he makes one forget he was ever Harry Dunn, regardless of how much one longs for him to say “…you TOTALLY redeem yourself!” The standout supporter though is Jason Bateman who plays a more reserved Rip Reed, but just as sleazy and promiscuous. All of this leaves Ben Affleck, who, while good, doesn’t click with Crowe as well the others do. We don’t feel like these guys have known each other for years, but rather that Collins is just a story to McAffery. Perhaps this was the intent but it’s unlikely given how much the film reminds us these two guys are (were?) the best of friends. Michael Berresse doesn’t fare too well as sociopathic Robert Bingham. He does enough, but at times he just comes off as …off.
For all the greatness of this picture, the wheels start to come off an hour or so into it. The film moves at such a quick pace and has you totally engaged that I can’t pin my finger on it, but it just slows down. Maybe it’s because we have it all figured out and are waiting for it to unravel, but the last forty or so minutes aren’t nearly as great as what came before it. Part of it deals with the film becoming too ‘Hollywood’ towards the end. The blog vs. print theme is an undercurrent of the story, as is the need to sell papers so it becomes a typical the-bosses-need-this-now-or-we’re-screwed deal. As good as the script is, by the end some of the twists feel like they’re there just to be there and not to further the story. It’s a shame because it could have raised this to a great thriller.
State of Play is a good film, and in a cloud of mainstream stinkfests, it’s nice to have this. Russell Crowe, the supporting cast, Kevin Macdonald keep this puppy afloat even as the water’s running in. It’s an impressive smart thriller that deserves your attention and will please most who see it.
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i saw this film last night, Nice movie. good acting of Russel crowe