Tuesday, April 21, 2009

"State of Play": A Romp into the Political


Well, it's finals time.  A time for stress and studying, that is, if you're a "normal" college student.  We in the film world, however, are not normal (just ask my roommates).  Most of our classes are hands-on, project-oriented.  By the end of the semester we're done.  For me finals is more about running, reading, and watching movies.  So, in the spirit of finals I saw a movie this afternoon with a friend, that movie was "State of Play" the new conspiracy theory, political thriller starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck.  (See Left)

The movie starts off well.  Two men are shot in an alley one survives, but is in a coma.  We see the face of the shooter, but have no idea who he is.  Let the mystery begin!

The story follows Cal McAffrey (Crowe) a reporter for the Washington Globe as he investigates the two murders.  He soon discovers, with the help from Della Frye (Rachael McAdams) that these murders are related to the death of Sonia Baker, the aid to Congressman (who was also the college roommate to Cal) Stephan Collins (Affleck).

Cal and Della begin delving in, only to find a conspiracy involving PointCorp, an independent war contractor who happens to be under investigation by...you guessed it Rep. Collins and his House buddies.  The plot thickens the closer Cal and Della come to the truth.

Performances are good by most of the cast.  Crowe is good, but he's usally great.  Affleck is bearable, but he's not very good.  McAdams is good, but I didn't feel her character was necessary.  My favorite supporting cast was Jason Bateman.  He plays the owner of a PR firm involved in the conspiracy.  He's sleazy.  He's a drug addict.  He's greasy.  I was worried he couldn't pull it off, but he did well.  It was a nice turn for Bateman.

In short, a nice way to spend a Tuesday afternoon.

Rating: 16 Golden Bananas