State of Play Movie Review

There's a journo, a murder and a babe who slips beneath a subway train. There's gossip and a sly love affair. We're talking of State of Play movie adapted from its BBC television drama show. Noir (Russel Crow) is the hack hooked to newsroom buzz at The Washington Globe. He's really toned down his macho image here as Cal McAffrey, a reporter.

The movie takes off with a tangled skein as a petty thief is found dead and a passer-by who is witness to the murder is shot at too by a sharpshooter. Meanwhile, Congressman Collins (Ben Affleck) comes to know of his assistant having fallen beneath a subway train. Cal doesn't want to pick up the trail as he's been fooling around with Collins wife (Robin Wright Penn). Cal and Collins were college buddies. Then, there is the gossip that Collins may have been having an affair with his assistant who is no more.

Collins is also supposed to be on the panel trying to sniff out the illegal dealings of Point Corp suspected to have it's finger in too many pies including the US Government offensive in the Middle East. Point Corp is intending to take control of Homeland Security.

What links what to whom? The audience has not one dull moment in the movie.Amidst the hoopla is the sexy reporter Della (Rachel McAdams) attached to McAffrey as his sidekick. As always, he wants none of her. Helen Mirren pitches in as the editor harassing everyone in the line of sight.

Director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King Of Scotland) and co-screenwriter Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Trilogy) have done a good job at jostling together the modern state of journalism and the goings-on among Congressmen. This one's dynamite, watch with care.