Russell Crowe,
Ben Affleck,
Rachel McAdams,
Helen Mirren,
Robin Wright
... see more
The Last King of Scotland director Kevin McDonald teams with screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan for this American adaptation of the hit British miniseries concerning the suspicious circumstances th... read more
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
Release Date: April 17, 2009
DVD Release Date: September 1, 2009
Stats: 8,644 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (8,644)
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March 30, 2012
State of Play is a good political thriller with twists coming at you when you least expect them. Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren and Robin Wright Penn were absolutely fantastic in this film. They carry the film through some implausible plot twists which... read more
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March 9, 2012
"State of Play". A very similar movie to this is "Body of Lies"... it also stars Russell Crowe! They are very similar like this: "State of Play" was engaging and brings the audience through the plot. We become interested in what will happen... but there is almost 0 character deve... read more
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January 7, 2012
A mediocre political thriller. Unless you're a fan of this genre, you're not missing much. The acting is good but the pacing is awkward and rushed. A very decent film.
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October 25, 2011
This movie is great. Excellent plot, excellent cast, excellent directing. Russell Crowe plays his part perfectly, as do fellow actors Ben Affleck, Rachel Mcadams, and Hellen Mirren. If one is just looking for an action-filled, mindless thriller, this is not the movie. State of Pl... read more
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October 15, 2011
My predicted rating: 3.5
The U.S remake of a British Drama Series, told with a realistic edge and great performances all around, Russell Crowe gives a show stealing performance.
A story of Political conspiracy, friendship, murder, loyalty and power. A fast paced story with ma... read more -
September 9, 2011
I don't think I've enjoyed a Russell Crowe performance as much as this so far in his career. It's nothing like the BBC series, which is a good thing, as I didn't think much of it. Kevin Macdonald is a diverse director too, certainly not a one trick pony, he's just as good at thri... read more
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August 15, 2011
A amazing crime thriller. First thing you need to know the acting in this movie was great, but I found Afflecks performance the most powerful. The plot was understandable and well crafted. There is no action in this movie so don't be expecting ANY gun fights or car chases, jus... read more
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August 12, 2011
Smart, exciting and well-paced political thriller! Nice turn of events and a very intriguing plotline (although I'll admit that a lot of it went over my head). Great music score as well, which helped boosting the already high suspense. The kind of movie that proves you don't need... read more
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June 25, 2011
I really cannot fathom how Ben Affleck keeps getting work. Definitely the greatest factor in making this movie less than satisfying.
I've not seen the original BBC series, but one thing that could have made this better -- aside from casting someone who could act as Collins -
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June 15, 2011
Kevin Macdonald handles everything well, be it action sequences, heavy dialogue, or character moments. The actors are also all top notch. Russell Crowe proves more than ever that he can play different kinds of characters, Ben Affleck is believable through and through, and Rachel ... read more
Critic Reviews
It's sentimental in all the right ways. Full Review
As a former reporter and a fervent believer that we need good, independent newspapers to do their jobs keeping government and business in check, I think they got the journalism right. Full Review
A meandering movie that sometimes hits dead center and sometimes misfires dismally, resulting in a drama more tangled than taut. Full Review
It's a film in a hurry. In the scant minutes between plot twists, we get treated to bite-size nuggets of character development and a few juicy nibbles of acting from a cast almost universally committe... Full Review
Giving new meaning to movie magic, those Hollywood tricksters have managed to shorten the story while slowing the pace -- all of a sudden, minutes are passing like hours. Full Review
This rote paranoid thriller was adapted from a 2003 BBC miniseries, with a few topical headlines folded in and some cursory attempts to make newspapers seem au courant. Full Review
State of Play is bordered by the states of absurdity and cliché. Full Review
Holds together in proper, conspiracy-thriller style, providing general audiences with a few good surprises and some crackling performances. Full Review
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