State of Play (2009)

A team of investigative reporters work alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress.

Director:

Kevin Macdonald

Writers:

Matthew Michael Carnahan (screenplay), Tony Gilroy (screenplay),

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Russell Crowe	...	Cal McAffrey
Ben Affleck	...	Stephen Collins
Rachel McAdams	...	Della Frye
Helen Mirren	...	Cameron Lynne
Robin Wright	...	Anne Collins (as Robin Wright Penn)
Jason Bateman	...	Dominic Foy
Jeff Daniels	...	George Fergus
Michael Berresse	...	Robert Bingham
Harry Lennix	...	Detective Bell
Josh Mostel	...	Pete
Michael Weston	...	Hank
Barry Shabaka Henley	...	Gene Stavitz
Viola Davis	...	Dr. Judith Franklin
David Harbour	...	PointCorp Insider
Sarah Lord	...	Mandi

Storyline

A petty thief is gunned down in an alley and a Congressman's assistant falls in front of a subway - two seemingly unrelated deaths. But not to wisecracking, brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey who spies a conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. With a turbulent past connected to the Congressman and the aid of ambitious young rookie writer Della Frye, Cal begins uprooting clues that lead him to a corporate cover-up full of insiders, informants, and assassins. But as he draws closer to the truth, the relentless journalist must decide if it's worth risking his life and selling his soul to get the ultimate story.

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Plot Keywords:

congressman | newspaper | mistress | assassin | truth | 

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Taglines:

Find The Truth

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, language including sexual references, and brief drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA UK France

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

17 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los secretos del poder

Filming Locations:

612 S Flower St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£1,513,951 (UK) (24 April 2009)

Gross:

$36,965,395 (USA) (12 June 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Working Title Films, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Kevin Macdonald considered asking Bill Nighy to reprise his role of Cameron but decided to make the character a female instead. Helen Mirren was then cast.

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Goofs

When we first see the newspaper's lobby, there's a man putting the new parent company's sign up. In the very next shot, as Cal rounds the corner, both the man and the sign have disappeared.

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Quotes

Cameron Lynne: I want you to do a complete rundown on this Sonia Baker: who she knew, who she blew, the color of her knickers.

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Crazy Credits

The printing process of a newspaper is shown as the ending credits start to show up.

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Connections

Featured in Screenwipe: Episode #5.3 (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Walking on Sunshine"
Written by Kimberley Rew
Performed by Priddis Music Studio Band
Courtesy of Priddis Music, Inc.

User Reviews

A must-see for the American public

Character-wise, this movie doesn't have the complex figures of the best political thrillers. Dialogs are the brightest. Editing is great and the music's appropriate without being too prominent. But those are small quibbles when it comes to one of the most honest major features to come out in a long time. You'll hardly know where the facts end and where the fiction begins, because so much of it, barely obscured by a change of name, is real. As much a fiction this movie is, it may as well be a documentary.

I watched this in a mostly empty theater on a Sunday night. Americans, they told you so.