State of Play

Entertaining political thriller. Russell Crowe plays Cal McCaffrey, a scruffy investigative journalist whose dogged pursuit of a story leads him to uncover dangerous and difficult truths about an old friend, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck). McCaffrey works for the Washington Globe (read Post) a newspaper on the edge of extinction; he is under pressure by editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) to produce stories that will sell papers. But he’s a purist: he follows the leads, he looks for the truth, and he reports news, not dirt. When it comes to light that the Congressman Collins story includes a sex scandal, Lynne hooks him up with Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) a young up-and-comer who writes a blog for the Globe’s electronic edition. The two grudgingly go to work together, each suspicious of the other’s role at the paper, but each needing the other anyway; a new take on the old buddy formula.

And no, Cal and Della don’t fall in love or into bed; spoiler alert, I suppose. But what’s good about this film is that it avoids the clichéd traps typical of mass market thrillers, good and evil are a little blurry here, everybody has a weakness. Unfortunately, this is also the film’s failing, because it weaves an elaborate, dangerous web of intrigue and conspiracy, and then somehow drops the thread, leaving us with an odd and unsatisfying conclusion. But it’s a fun ride, and the acting is top notch: any scene with Russell Crowe and Helen Mirren is a kick, and late in the story Justin Bateman turns up and steals the show. Even if you can’t stand this movie, you should stick around for that. Not a box office knockout, but doing decent business around the country; it will probably be harder to find this weekend when Wolverine hits the screen.