Every so often, the "All the President's Men" formula gets trotted out with the Watergate scandal replaced by another ripped-from-the-headlines controversy. In the case of "State of Play" - director Kevin Macdonald's solid adaptation of the BBC miniseries - the dogged journalists (this time a seasoned vet and his naïve, blogging protégé) take on a Blackwater-esque corporation with designs on redefining the privatization of the military industrial complex (incidentally, the TV show "24" - another headline-raiding drama - is treading similar ground this season).
As is typically the case in stories like this, "Play" opens with a series of (seemingly) unrelated events. In a visceral opening chase, a man is pursued into traffic in Washington D.C. before being gunned down in an alley. Later, a woman falls from a crowded subway platform in an apparent suicide. It turns out that the woman worked for Congressman Stephen Collins who is chairing a hearing against PointCorps (the Blackwater doppelganger). Coincidence? Cut to Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe, packing on several pounds - some of it hair), the kind of old school pen-jockey whose cubicle is filled to collapsing with stacks of old newspapers. Reluctantly (of course), circumstances force him to partner with a young female blogger out of the paper's online division. It will be the job of these two reporter-heroes to crack the case and get to the bottom of the story.
The film's writers Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray have done an impressive job culling a tight two-hour film from Paul Abbott's six-part BBC miniseries. The essence of the plot remains, but it's been updated for the American political arena and set against the struggling world of print journalism. This change in format may have done the story a slight disservice, however. Without the leisurely pacing of a series, "Play" is boiled down to its basic elements, all of which may seem familiar from similar journalistic whodunits, right up to the big realization at the end ("Of course! How did I miss that?!").
Along the way, the film has some big ideas: it extols the kind of responsible journalism that has all but disappeared in favor of sensationalism and partisan pandering. Profits are said to be the root of the problem; the film's fictional Washington Globe newspaper has recently been acquired by the assumedly evil MediaCorps. The same goes for the military: the proliferation of companies like PointCorps is attributed to "the Muslim terror Gold Rush".
"Play" also features a charismatic cast that has a great time with the material. Mr. Crowe seems to be thoroughly enjoying his new hirsute frame. His Girl Friday (it's a reference, look it up) is played by Rachel McAdams, with spunkiness to spare. The paper's editor is played with having-fun-with-it gusto by Helen Mirren (sadly, she never gets to scream "stop the presses!" but she comes close). And, when things get boring, a little Jason Bateman - continuing to corner the market on white-collar sleaze - always spices things up. Only Ben Affleck feels a little at sea as the beleaguered Congressman. Like Leonardo DiCaprio, the actor tends to come off like a boy playing dress-up. He doesn't have the gravity to play a Congressman and falls back on his usual, shall we say, Affleck-tations.
Like the final season of HBO's "The Wire", "Play" turns a wickedly satirical eye towards online journalism (it also features an ending credit montage which mimics the opening title sequence of that series). When asked if he thinks the Congressman was having an affair with the female victim, Cal replies, "I'll have to consult a few blogs before I can form an opinion." No offense taken, Cal. But like the modern flourishes that make "State of Play" feel fresh even as it remains rooted in the trappings of a typical political thriller, there's nothing wrong with embracing new technology while still respecting traditional journalistic integrity. You're welcome.
