The political thriller “State of Play” couldn’t be missed for its journalism perspective and its shots of D.C. And come on, a cast of Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, Ben Affleck, Robin Wright Penn – it couldn’t be too bad right? A pudgy (okay fat) Russell Crowe plays Cal McAffrey, an old-school print reporter who teams up with online rookie columnist Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) to cover a string of murders, including the death of a congressman’s mistress. So far so good, but as time goes on, the plot gets wackily convoluted and preposterous amid scenes of corruption, mercenaries for hire, and cover-up, not to mention those having a conflict of interest for Cal in reporting on his old college pal, Congressman Stephen Collins (played by Affleck). Pretty soon you just have to go with “State of Play,” crazy or not, and enjoy it for what you can. Its angle on the newspaper biz remains interesting for those nostalgic for the heyday of print journalism. Perhaps Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post touched on that best, when she wrote:
“State of Play’s” final montage, a loving valentine to old-fashioned newspapering with its clanging presses … plays like a sepia-toned anthropological documentary about a vanishing indigenous people. But, at least for members of that bloodied and battered tribe, it’s impossible not to be touched. In some distant future, when newsprint has long disappeared and people get their news and movies by way of a biologically embedded chip, at least they’ll know that attention, once, was paid. On behalf of ink-stained wretches everywhere: Thanks for caring, guys!”
