An overwhelming sense of terrifying and foreboding nostalgia overcame me as the closing credits of “State of Play” began to roll. The film concludes by simply focusing on the various measures taken in the midst of printing a newspaper. Amy working or aspiring to succeed in this business realizes that newspaper are hurting, provoking dread that print journalism is in its final days; a sadness that “State of Play” accurately evokes.
“State of Play” is effective in both being a tension-filled political thriller, although not up to the standards of “The Contender,” and riveting examination of the newspaper business, while never reaching the insight of “The Paper.” The film begins with two shootings on a rainy Washington, D.C. night, coinciding with the pervasive corruption encompassing the nation’s capitol, which may be connected to the Congressional investigation of Point Corp., a defense contractor the government has hired to monopolize military operations both at home and abroad. All of these intricate facts are being pulled together by Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), a reporter at the Washington Globe with a special connection to the possible Point Corp. assassinations.
The head of the Congressional Committee is Rep. Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), a former roommate of Cal’s who has nobody to trust after his lead aid is murdered. The relationship between the two was previously fractured when Cal had an intimate encounter with Stephen’s wife (Robin Wright Penn), who continues to hold a special connection with the reporter. Cal now has to delicately balance the friendship and affection he holds for Collins, while giving his editor (Helen Mirren) enough information to keep her satisfied. He is also forced to teach a young blogger (Rachel McAdams) the disintegrating and fine art of thorough reporting without revealing critical information to the cops, sources, and perpetrators involved with the murder investigation.
There is a lot going on here, but the script does an admirable job of allowing the audience to understand and easily follow the complicated plot, while sill being taut and relatively concise in telling the multi-layered story. The film seems to have a vast knowledge about the interplay between reporters and detectives as well and seems to realistically portray their mutual, awkward dynamic of competing truth-seekers. The co-writers of “State of Play” include Billy Ray and Tony Gilroy, who were intimately involved in the thrillers “Breach” and “Michael Clayton”, which were superior because their intrigue derived more from the character’s reactions to the situations than the mysteries being uncovered. Because of this, those films were more emotionally rather than intellectually stimulating, their themes residing deeper within the soul.
All of the performances are excellent, expressing authentic and everlasting stress in an environment ripe with these conditions. The standout among these tremendous actors in his brief screen time is Jason Bateman, who is perfect in conveying both the paranoia and detached persona of an addict who is unaware of the crucial information he is revealing. Crowe, Mirren, McAdams, and Wright Penn are all outstanding and forceful in their respective roles with a focus that is unbending and astonishing. Ben Affleck, who receives vast amounts of harsh criticism about his acting ability for mostly asinine reasons, proves to have a unique ability to create a character that is amazingly forceful in one scene and shatteringly vulnerable in the next.
Although “State of Play” does contain many desirable attributes, it seems to be missing a certain urgency or permanence that it should possess. Maybe the sadness that engulfs the dying investigative journalism landscape unavoidably leaves a more lasting impression than the corporate greed that drives the action. “State of Play” astutely argues that without newspapers, the government would become a privately owned and traded company; a power that is supposedly reserved for the citizens that compose this great nation. If this atrocious vision is somehow ever achieved, as “State of Play believes, our world would be a desolate and unrecognizably polluted place.
