Plot: What’s it about?
I’ve never been much on the political thriller type of movie, but I have to say that all changed after watching “State of Play.” Not only does the movie boast one of the better casts in recent years, but the movie flowed with such an ease of effort I watched it again (and I’ve very rarely, if ever, done that). For the uninitiated, the film comes from the 2003 BBC Miniseries by the same name. Though none of the same players are present in the 2009 movie, most of the same elements are still there. Of course, it had to be reworked for time and some things changed to “Americanize” it, but by and large the same basic elements are there. I’ve actually not seen the BBC miniseries, but after seeing how extraordinary the movie was, I’ll most assuredly be checking it out.
Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) is a seasoned journalist for the Washington Globe (but we all know it’s the Post), who’s working on a low level story about a shooting in an alleyway. Simultaneously, we learn that a member of Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) has been killed in an apparent suicide. Sensing there’s more to this story than meets the eye, McAffrey starts to dig a bit deeper and finds that the two are, ironically enough, related. Working with online blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), the two hit the streets to see what they can unearth about the two stories. There’s always more to stories like this than meets the eye and when they find that an umbrella corporation called PointCorp might be behind things, it only makes the investigation that much more important. Will Della and Cal be able to run the story all the while avoiding the police and armed assassins?
Russell Crowe has been somewhat hit and miss for me, but this is certainly one of his better roles. He so immerses himself in the character of the packrat journalist, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role. And I don’t know if Ben Affleck recently acquired a new manager, but it seems everywhere I turn nowadays he’s back on the screen. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but he does do well in his role here. Rounding out the ensemble cast are Jeff Daniels, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn. Some things adapt well and some don’t, but Tony Gilroy’s screenplay really works and the movie doesn’t feel like its two hours plus. Fans of the original BBC miniseries might be polarized, but as for me; I liked what I saw…both times.
Video: How does it look?
“State of Play” comes to Blu-ray in a 2.40:1 VC-1 HD transfer that looks pretty darn good. I think I’ve become so used to seeing things in HD (both on television and on Blu-ray) that we realize actors and actresses aren’t quite the airbrushed gods and goddesses that we see on magazine covers. They have wrinkles, moles and imperfections just like the rest of us. We can see the stubble on Crowe’s face, the fine delineation in Helen Mirren’s face and the distinct columns in the D.C. buildings. The transfer, overall, is good and what we’d expect from a new to Blu-ray release from a major studio. It’s a bit dark at times, but viewers won’t be disappointed.
Audio: How does it sound?
As is becoming the standard, the DTS HD Master Audio track is found on this disc and, for the most part, sounds good. Granted, this movie is about as dialogue-driven as they come but there are a few instances in which this shines. There are a few gunshots and some background noises that add a bit of depth to the track. Dialogue is full and rich, though Crowe seems to mumble a lot of his lines and his voice tends to be on the quiet side. I don’t really fault the audio for that; it’s just the way he is when he plays it low key. Again, like the video, this serves its purpose and doesn’t disappoint.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This Blu-ray disc isn’t too heavy on the supplements which disappoints, as I’d have loved to listen to a commentary track. We get some deleted scenes and Universal’s “U-Control” gives us some selected picture-in-picture scenes as well as some detailed information about selected sites of Washington D.C. which is interesting. The main draw here is the twenty minute featurette which gives us some insight on the cast and crew and the ever so tedious task of adapting the miniseries into a two hour movie.
