State of Play
State of Play

State of Play

2009Movie127 minEnglish

When a congressional aide is killed, a Washington, D.C. journalist starts investigating the case involving the Representative, his old college friend.

Read Reviews

Insights

IMDb7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes76%
Metacritic64/100
Google Users74%
Director: Kevin MacdonaldGenres: Thriller, Mystery, Drama

Plot Summary

A journalist investigates the murder of a politician's research assistant, uncovering a complex conspiracy that reaches into the highest levels of government and corporate power. As he digs deeper, he finds himself entangled with his old college friend, who is now a rising Congressman implicated in the case. The investigation reveals a dangerous web of deceit, blackmail, and murder that threatens to expose powerful secrets.

Critical Reception

State of Play was generally well-received by critics, who praised its intricate plot, strong performances, and timely themes of political corruption and media ethics. While some found the conspiracy slightly convoluted, the film was largely considered a gripping and intelligent thriller that effectively blended suspense with social commentary.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its intricate and suspenseful plot.
  • Commended for strong performances, particularly from the lead cast.
  • Noted for its exploration of timely themes concerning politics and media.

Google audience: Audiences generally appreciated the film's suspenseful storyline and the performances of Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. Many found it to be an engaging thriller that kept them guessing until the end. Some viewers felt the plot became a bit too complicated in its later stages.

Fun Fact

The film is a remake of the 2003 BBC mini-series of the same name, which also starred David Morrissey in the role that Russell Crowe plays in the movie.

AI-generated overview · Verify ratings on official sources

My Review

TMDB Reviews

2 reviews
Peter McGinn

Peter McGinn

This movie follows a familiar subset of the thriller genre, that of the journalist investigating a story and discovering there is more involved than what meets the eye, and before he knows it there is evidence of a conspiracy stretching hig...
Andres Gomez

Andres Gomez

Good movie, great cast and interesting plot. A movies as they used to be when interesting thrillers were on the screens with higher frequency.