State of Play (2009) on Netflix

Directed by Kevin MacDonald

Starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels, and Robin Wright Penn

Netflix served it up to me. And with a cast like that, how bad could it be?

It was actually pretty good. It delivered on all the points you’d expect from a movie of this ilk: likeable characters, a fast-forward plot, big stakes, big ideas. The acting was good. The production was solid. Nothing to complain about. Fun. And thought-provoking – at least for me.

What I was most intrigued by was the characterization of the media, represented by The Washington Globe (standing in for The Washington Post).

Russell Crowe is the old-fashioned, unkempt, whiskey-drinking, old-school reporter, and Rachel McAdams is the newspaper’s social media blogger, who is more interested in getting clicks than getting the facts right.

You have the expected conflict between them, as well as between the Crowe character and Ben Affleck, a rising pol that was once Crowe’s friend.

The movie deals with several issues – corporate crime, political corruption, and, most of all, the inevitable degradation of the press due to the nature of social media. This last may be one of the most important stories of my lifetime. State of Playdidn’t exactly plumb the depths of this topic, but it did a good job of presenting it as real.

Although the movie was made in 2008 and released in 2009, the themes are just as poignant today.

You can watch the trailer here.

Critical Reviews 

* “A taut, well-acted political thriller, State of Play overcomes some unsubtle plot twists with an intelligent script and swift direction.” (Rotten Tomatoes)

* “A smart, ingenious thriller.” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times)

* “It’s not as exceptional as its source, but the changes implemented mostly enhance rather than harm the story.” (Philip Kemp, Total film)