spoke digital films

I just left the theater after seeing State of Play, the political thriller directed by Kevin McDonald (The Last King of Scotland) and starring Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, and Ben Affleck. The film was based on a BBC produced mini-series of the same title. To be honest, I went into the theater with low expectations having rented the BBC mini-series because I had heard it described as a British version of the HBO television masterpiece, The Wire. While the mini-series had some great moments and great elements (especially Bill Nighy’s performance as the Editor-In-Chief of a London daily newspaper), overall I was underwhelmed by the show. It was certainly no rival to The Wire, which remains in my mind the best television show ever produced in the history of the medium. So, when my lukewarm reception the BBC version was coupled with some very mediocre reviews for this new theatrical release, I wasn’t terribly excited to see it. I expected a pat, uninspired version of decent-at-best source material. I was wrong.

The story revolves primarily around three characters - a daily newspaper journalist, Cal McAffrey (Crowe), his younger, less experienced colleague, Della Frye (McAdams), and Stephen Collins (Affleck), a United States Congressman. In short, a scandal develops around Congressman Collins which involves sex, money, corporate espionage, and military profiteering. The story becomes more complicated when we learn that Cal has a personal history and friendship with the troubled Congressman, leading to conflicts of interest and questions of personal, professional, and ethical loyalty.

“State of Play is equal parts love letter and eulogy to the fading art of journalism and the creative fictions it has inspired.“

Continue reading this review at dirtsweatsoul.com

(dirt sweat soul is my blog devoted to the intersection of politics and culture.)