zkonedog As a fan of the "political thriller" genre, I had been very disappointed in the recent fare from that category that I had viewed. It seemed as if either all the answers were given up front (rendering the rest of the film rather boring), or the filmmakers tried to cram every revelation into the last few minutes. Fortunately, "State of Play" does neither, instead relying on terrific pacing that will keep you into the plots and guessing all the way to the end.The basic plot of the film centers on two reporters, played by Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams, for a dying (aren't they all these days?) newspaper. As they begin work on a seemingly simple story involving a murder, they come to find that its threads are much deeper than what some in the government would want them to believe.Though this seems like the standard fare for the political thriller genre, the pacing (an under- used criterion in filmmaking these days) is so excellent that it never feels old or stale. With seemingly each passing minute, a new element is introduced into the lives of either the characters or the unfolding mystery plot. Never once did I find myself glancing at the VCR timer to see how much was left...I was enthralled by the entire story.In the acting department, Crowe turns in another stellar performance as a hard-nosed journalist who doesn't mind doing some dirty work to feed the journalistic machine. McAdams also shows how versatile she can be (how many actresses could pull off Mean Girls, Nicholas Sparks fare, and this sort of thriller in a career?) as Crowe's sidekick who slowly becomes so much more. About the only disappointment is Ben Affleck as a U.S. Congressman...it seems as if he is just kind of sleep-walking through his screen time.The final aspect that pushes this film somewhere between "above-average" and "excellent" is the plot's grounding in real-life issues. While working for a large newspaper run by an editor (Helen Mirren) who knows what needs to be done for the business to survive in these times, Crowe and McAdams' characters are constantly challenged by how far they should go to uncover their story. The angle isn't overly preachy, which is always a plus, instead trying to show the reality of the situation.Thus, if able, I would give this film a 4.5 star rating. Though it doesn't have quite enough memorable "oomph" to be truly a classic (I watched it two weeks ago and already the details are beginning to fade), it delivers a very entertaining two hours filled with twists, turns, and interesting characters.

boatista24 Both Ben Afleck and Russel Crowe are bald. Afleck, I have great respect for, despite that he tries to hide this. Crowe has a reputation for being a smug asshole to everyone from his fans to his exes. In this movie, Crowe has on one of his more ludicrous wigs. As a result, I find it very hard to take this movie seriously, despite its quality content. If they can go to all the trouble of pasting on silly wigs, they could just as well do it with crappy CGI. At this point, I'm not sure what bothers me the most with these juvenile movies today: the nauseating shaky camera, the increased annoying volume when playing soundtrack music, the horrible CGI, or the baldies in bad wigs. In any case, they all detract from a movie that might otherwise be very well made. I long for the days of Paul Verhooven, his marvelously built physical sets and props, and the lack of crappy CGI.

Robert D. Ruplenas Ah yes, another liberal nightmare fantasy flick, this time about the threat of a private defense contractor - and if anyone thinks the "PointCorps" of the flick is not supposed to be Blackwater, please seek treatment for terminal naivete - who is secretly seeking to take control of American society. Of course, how this is supposed to happen when defense budgets are getting slashed to the bone under liberal governance is a mystery. If you want a real nightmare scenario, someone should make a flick about how the kudzu-like tentacles of the federal bureaucracy in the form of the IRS, the EPA, the FDA, the FTC, the Education Department, HHS, HUD and the whole alphabet soup of unelected bureaucrats is insinuating itself into every aspect of our lives. But considering the moonbat crowd that runs Hollywood, I'm not holding my breath. Considered purely as an action/mystery flick this isn't bad as pure entertainment, but the political overtones are offputting.

Harriet Deltubbo Welcome to the world of State of Play, where thieves roam loose, dysfunctional families live in decaying shacks and violent dogs are barking everywhere. It's a world where the only thing that keeps lives afloat is the sensitivity of the bilaterally desperately needy relationships on display. All the characters struggle against a system that has perpetuated falsehoods. Against this backdrop, our hero must fight. The acting is very effective, save for a couple of scenes. Nonetheless, the cinematography is stark and bare, with only the soundtrack adding some effect. I finished this film, thinking, "There are people out there suffering and I can do something to help them."