The film Text copyright (c) Filmverdict 2006-present. Any film titles and artwork used are copyright of their respective owners.
Director Kevin Macdonald initially made his name in the factual field, with such films as Munich Olympics documentary One Day in September (a story more compelling than Spielberg's film) and mountaineers-in-peril piece Touching the Void. It's no surprise, then, that he brings the documentary aesthetic to this fictional, yet mostly plausible, thriller based on a 2003 BBC series, as he did with his last dramatised feature, The Last King of Scotland. The handheld method is frequently overused and no longer seems like a fresh or original stylistic choice, but it is appropriate for the subject matter in this instance and Macdonald shows a keen sense of how to handle a camera. His visual sensibilities appear to mesh well with his experienced cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Babel, Brokeback Mountain, Alexander), resulting in a film that never looks stunning - that's clearly as intended - but does certainly manage to be cinematic.
If the immediacy of the camerawork lends the film an occasionally rushed feel, that's probably because the production was not completely hurdle-free and filming was postponed for six weeks to allow for Russell Crowe to take the place of Brad Pitt. State of Play was meant to be the reunion of Fight Clubbers Pitt and Edward Norton, but when the former bailed (differences with the director over the script, apparently) and the production was delayed, Norton had to drop out too. The resulting headlining pair - Ben Affleck occupies Norton's former role of a senator whose aide mysteriously dies on a Washington, D.C. subway platform - may not seem as appealing or indeed box office friendly, but actually the re-jigged casting works surprisingly well. The unkempt, slightly overweight Crowe seems like a better, and more likely, fit for a haggard newspaper journalist than Pitt would have been, and Russ is on better form here than he's been for ages. Meanwhile, Affleck seems to have learned some acting lessons from his time behind the camera on Gone Baby Gone, and although he'll never be the next Brando, this is certainly one of his best performances. The only real problem that arises from this combination of actors is that they are meant to have been college roommates together, despite the real life (and visible) age difference.
The film tells a labyrinthine and satisfyingly complex tale of political intrigue and investigative journalism in the American capital, and races along at a breakneck pace. Some scenes, presumably for the purposes of condensing the running time, are edited to beyond the natural limits of continuity, but it's not distracting and isn't necessarily even a flaw (those French nouvelle vague blokes certainly didn't have a problem with jump cuts). At times the relentless pacing skirts the edges of coherency but never falls off, so that while it's pretty hard to follow every little nuance and development in one sitting, there's never a point when the attentive viewer will be scratching their head in bewilderment. It's just the right level of convolutedness - sufficiently twisty and dense to be engaging, but not so mazelike as to be confusing. There are a couple of revelations towards the end which are neatly handled, and if there is a slight nagging feeling that the film has been building up to something more earth-shattering than it actually delivers, it's only a minor gripe. One that doesn't prevent this from being top class entertainment.
The summary
Gripping and compelling, State of Play is the best film of its type - the reality-based thriller - for some time.
Agree? Disagree? Say so in the Guestbook!