Brad Pitt and Keira Knightley both scored early roles in scary movies. See who else started out in horror films. For even more, visit our Guide to Horror ... if you dare.
Related lists from IMDb users
Title: State of Play (2009)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
| 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 |
A petty thief is gunned down in an alley and a Representative's assistant falls in front of a subway, two seemingly unrelated deaths. But not to wisecracking, brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), who spies a conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. With a turbulent past connected to the Representative and the aid of ambitious young rookie writer Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), 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. Written by The Massie Twins
Looking for some great streaming picks? Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist.
Crowe brings his A game (despite an occasional accent slip) to his role as a world-weary reporter with the newly purchased Washington Globe, helmed by Helen Mirren's very engaging take on Perry White/Katharine Graham. If you like thrillers you won't be disappointed in this pic that runs 2 hours and feels less than half of that. "State of Play" isn't perfect and the number of plot points that need to come together veritably dictate some implausibility at the end but if you compare this film to any five suspense-thrillers (at least Hollywood-made) that have come out in the past five years, you have to appreciate the whole package: Acting (and I disagree with the Ben Affleck naysayers here, he acquitted himself very well), character acting (Viola Thomas, Jason Batemen and Harry Lennix compete equally with a fraction of the time of the major players), interesting and gripping plot and story development, and overall believability all make this a first-rate film and one all involved should be proud of. The subtext of love and loss surrounding the non- entertainment print media also lends more than a little credibility and sympathy to the effort. I hope this film succeeds on a financial level and inspires at least one or two ambitious filmmakers to make movies in the same vein. Without doubt, there are too few genre pics of this caliber and State of Play shows it can be done well, even into the 21st century.