State of Play

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State of Play

PG-13

Released Apr 17, 2009

2h 7m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

212 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is a rising star in Washington; handsome, unflappable and seemingly honorable, he's seen as his party's next presidential nominee. Until, however, his research assistant/mistress is found murdered and damaging secrets come pouring out. Journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), Collins' old friend, must investigate the murder, and walks headlong into a massive cover-up involving some of the nation's most promising political and corporate figures.

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Critics Consensus

A taut, well-acted political thriller, State of Play overcomes some unsubtle plot twists with an intelligent script and swift direction.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

State of Play is well put together and has some intelligence but it's just not very interesting or exciting or gripping for most of the time.

Aug 29, 2018

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

This film was well worth the wait.

Rated: A

Sep 12, 2017

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Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Rated: 4/5

Nov 17, 2011

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A serviceable movie, but it’s the performances that carry the experience.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 1, 2023

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Niall Browne

Movies in Focus

State of Play is a classy piece of Hollywood filmmaking that delivers an entertaining two hours in the cinema and features enjoyable star performances from Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 17, 2021

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

State of Play entertains, but every film genre, including the thriller, would be improved vastly by a more coherent and insightful grasp of the way society actually works.

Feb 13, 2021

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Bob L

Ditto what everyone else said about performances (though Affleck seems in over his head and incapable of being interesting without some Bat Toys to play with), but this barely had a heartbeat. 90 minutes in, it was still meandering aimlessly. I guess we're all supposed to be on the edge of our seats waiting for Russell Crowe to Scooby Doo the answer together in real time, but 60 minutes was more than this needed to take.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/18/24

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Ishara L

Movie #1537 A solidly written political thriller book-ended by a great cast with tight and adept filmmaking.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/10/24

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Eye C

A nice investigation journalist thriller to “light out” the Saturday. The cast is impressive, a lot of big names.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/20/24

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Test T

I watched this on DVD. It's not all bad, but they should have spent a little more on some decent lighting so that the audience would be able to see what is going on! As it is, the whole thing is far too dim. Russel Crowe is playing a journalist, but how he ever manages to see well enough to write anything is the real mystery. The press office he works at is illuminated like a cave at night and I'd be surprised if he managed to find his desk, let alone see to write a story. You may have guessed by now that I've (not!) seen this kind of movie before, and it really annoys me. Why make the film at all if you can't see it properly? It could have been made as a radio play for much less money, and then no one would complain. I don't recommend this movie because trying to watch it gave me eye strain and lots of frustration.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/23/24

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Karl N

Good story. Well acted.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/10/24

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Musical F

Decent ride, Russell Crowe crushes it and baby faced Ben Affleck is good too. Solid twist at the end.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/09/23

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Kevin Macdonald

Director

Russell Crowe

Cal McAffrey

Ben Affleck

Stephen Collins

Rachel McAdams

Della Frye

Helen Mirren

Cameron Lynne

Robin Wright

Anne Collins

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Synopsis

Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is a rising star in Washington; handsome, unflappable and seemingly honorable, he's seen as his party's next presidential nominee. Until, however, his research assistant/mistress is found murdered and damaging secrets come pouring out. Journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), Collins' old friend, must investigate the murder, and walks headlong into a massive cover-up involving some of the nation's most promising political and corporate figures.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Andrew Hauptman
Screenwriter: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, Billy Ray
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Andell Entertainment, Bevan-Fellner
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Brief Drug Content|Sexual References|Some Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 17, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.0M
Runtime: 2h 7m

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