STATE OF PLAY is a nice newspaper thriller.  Still the UK mini-series is better.  However, some of the casting from the movie is better than the mini-series and vice versa.   Helen Mirren does chew it up as the editor-in-chief while I do miss Bill Nighy’s take on the same role.    Russell Crowe makes a better Cal than John Simms.   Della Frye is a mix of the British version of the character and the young assistant of Cal’s in the BBC version.   Ben Affleck comes nowhere close to the guy who played Stephen in the mini-series and I do miss the relationship between Cal and Anne Collins from the mini.

STATE OF PLAY revolves around the death of a junkie thief and the mistress/ research assistant of Congressman Stephen Collins.  Both are connected as reported Cal Mcaffrey discovers.   He was an old college roomate of Collins and had a thing for Anne Collins (Stephen's wife).   Stephen turns to Cal for help.  Cal discovers a conspiracy that leads to a very good news story for him.   STATE OF PLAY is a taut thriller while making the news reporting seem extremely exciting.    Ben Affleck does seem a little out of his depth in this role (he was wonderful in HOLLYWOODLAND- just not here).  Robin Wright Penn seems wasted in her minimal role where the character of Anne was fully fleshed out in the BBC series.     The movie is electric whenever Russell Crowe and/or Helen Mirren are on the screen.   They eclipse almost everyone else in this film.   If you enjoyed the movie, I advise you check out and watch the original BBC series.

this movie review is (c)5-2-2009 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com