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State of Play

2009

Kevin Macdonald

Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright ...

6.6

24,269

Thriller. Mystery. Drama Based on the BBC mini-series of the same title, a team of investigative reporters work alongside a police detective to try and solve the murder of a congressman's mistress. D.C. investigative journalist Cal McCaffrey's (Russell Crowe) street smarts lead him to untangle a mystery of murder and collusion among some of the nation's most promising political and corporate figures. Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Todd McCarthy Variety	"This efficient, admirably coherent thriller (...) has a wistful air about it as regards the fourth estate at a time when the profession is dangling by a thread."	POS
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"A smart, ingenious thriller (...) It has a great takeoff, levels nicely, and then seems to land on autopilot (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	David Edelstein New York Magazine	"It’s tricky, it’s surprising, and it’s largely faithful to the original mini-series, but in context it’s a nonevent. It’s like a time bomb that’s never dismantled but never explodes"	NEU
United States	A. O. Scott The New York Times	"A superficially clever, self-important and finally incoherent thriller."	NEG
United States	Ann Hornaday The Washington Post	"Features a handsome production and terrific performances."	POS
United States	Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly	"If a thriller with the verve, fire, and — yes — the timely substance of 'State of Play' can't catch on, then movies for grown-ups may well prove to be as endangered as newspapers"	POS
United States	Rex Reed The New York Observer	"State of Play is the latest incoherently written, mass-entertainment gibberish by the overrated Tony Gilroy. (...) bearing the burden of the same smart-aleck Gilroy trademarks (...) labored plot twists hammered to death by a storm of clichés."	NEG
United States	J. Hoberman Village Voice	"An effectively involving journalism-cum-conspiracy yarn with a bang-bang opening and a frantic closer."	POS

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