VOD film review: State of Play
Review Overview
Cast
8Direction
8David Farnor | On 10, Nov 2009
Director: Kevin McDonald
Cast: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren
Certificate: 12
Back in 2003, the BBC produced a veritable masterpiece of conspiracy, sex, murder and journalists. Lighting up the gloom between public and private politics, it was a six-part scorcher of good television. The best TV series of the decade? While the US have The Wire, us Brits had State of Play.
Fast-track 6 years and here comes the Hollywood version, trampling over the tapes of televisual past. But the footsteps tread lighter than you think; daintily picking his way through the original show, director Kevin McDonald is as sure-footed as ever, piecing together the complex puzzle with a polished sense of pace. It’s just a shame that the script has to be so streamlined.
The story starts with death, namely that of Sonia Baker, researcher for Congressman Stephen Collins (Affleck). But it turns out that there was something going on behind closed doors: a cover-up from security giant, Pointcorps.
Uncovering the whole affair is dogged journalist Cal McCaffrey (Crowe). He’s got long hair. And a belly. He’s old school. Della Frye (McAdams) is of the new school – all blogs and no pens. Up the food chain, hard-nosed editor Cameron (Mirren) tries to balance the two, all three caught between corporate pressure and moral conviction. As the presses start to print, bullets begin to fly, and the whole thing comes crashing into daylight.
Condensed into 2 hours, the series’ story makes for a gripping thriller, but over 6 you get a lot more character and a lot less cliché. Having 3 co-writers to adjust one man’s work doesn’t help matters; the new location (Capitol Hill instead of Westminster) works well on the big screen, but the depth of the people within it is lost.
The cast are all solid, each making their inherited roles their own. But it’s hard to believe Collins and Cal were once roommates (the original series’ back-story of Cal being Collins’ campaign manager was far more convincing). Robin Wright’s wife, meanwhile, is sadly shunted to the sidelines. But with suspense and intrigue by the bucket-load, you’ll soon be caught up in the gripping web; Kevin’s confident helming makes for one classy thriller.
Stripped down and scaled up, State of Play suits the big screen. It might be sliced and sprinkled with cheese, but it’s still a compressed can of cracking cinema. The end credits alone are worth tuning in for.