Another deadline USA

 

 

Former "college roommates" Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck in "State of Play." (Universal Pictures)

State of Play

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Running time: 127 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 (profanity, violence, sexual references, drugs)

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"State of Play" 

And we thought all the really hard-nosed metro daily newspaper investigative reporters were long gone.

Old School Washington Globe senior reporter Cal McAffrey, shaggy long hair occasionally blowing in the breeze, sniffs out corruption and makes the corporate fat cats suffer in "State of Play."

There are a few tiny problems here.  The Washington Globe is a fictional newspaper.  McAffrey, dedicated guardian of the fourth estate, is portrayed by an actor.  A very good, Oscar-winning actor.

And the story?  A revamped version of a BBC miniseries circa 2003.

Now the good news.  "State of Play" puts extremely gifted Russell Crowe behind the computer in one of the messiest newspaper cubicles since yours truly was shown the door.

Crowe's too old for the role, really.  (We'll get to that in a minute.) Yet he dives under the skin of one of the great movie types; a talented newspaper reporter with ink in his blood and coffee stains on his fingers.

You don't have to be in the newspaper business (or just love it) to appreciate what director Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland"), his cast and crew have done here.  I dare you to even think of walking out of a theater showing this taut crime-thriller  and not think differently -- more passionately, it is hoped -- about a newspaper industry not so slowly ebbing out of our grasps in this country.

Bodies start piling up along the Washington D.C. Beltway.  McAffrey, using long-established connections to dig out the facts, gets a stiff dose of 21st century journalism.  Perky Globe Web site blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams of "Wedding Crashers") is on the case as well.

Old School and New Age reporting collide as the grizzled Globe editor portrayed by acclaimed British actress Helen Mirren pushes the unlikely reporting team with sharp verbal snaps not unlike a rattlesnake with a paper to get out.

Ben Affleck, one heck of an actor when he's not trying to be funny, plays U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins, a rising political star pushed to the back burner when his staff assistant meets an untimely end on her way to work.

"State of Play" has it all.  A compelling political corruption mystery, entangled characters (McAffrey has a past with both the congressman and his wife, played very well by Robin Wright Penn).

Now, about Crowe's age.  It's not so much that he's too long in the reporter's notepad at 45 to play an investigative reporter.  The hitch is that his character and the congressman are supposed to be old college roommates.  Affleck is nine years Crowe's junior in real life.  On screen, however, the age difference appears much greater.

Don't let that deter you, however.  This is one dandy modern-day murder mystery-thriller with whirring newspaper presses in the background.  It's not quite "All the President's Men," or even "Deadline USA," the old newsroom warhorse starring Humphrey Bogart.

It'll keep you on the edge of your seat, though.  And it won't stain your fingers.

Comments

[Laura Bray]

I usually need a compelling reason to go see *any* movie featuring Ben Affleck....not one of my favories. Russell Crowe and 3 1/2 chiles provided those compelling reasons.

We felt it was tightly written and directed, with several unexpected twists and turns. (Although the "Big Bad Defense Contrator" gets a little tiresome, having a loved one who works for a good one.)

You're right....we enjoyed watching the newsroom scenes; our post-movie conversation revolved around the dismal state of today's newspaper industry.

And Ben Affleck actually surprised me. Best job he's done, in my memory.