State of Play excited and examines
Theodore M. Traver
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Opinion
State of Play, a journalist suspense film staring Russell Crowe as seasoned reporter Cal McAffrey, Ben Affleck as troubled politician Stephen Collins, and Rachel McAdams as young blogger Della Frye, addresses many social issues and provides many thrills in its quest to mix substance with excitement.
Throughout the well thought-out screen play, the characters find themselves confronted with many issues in the fields of reporting ethics, marital relationships, print media business, political morals, and privatization of military.
The plot was packed with character developing scenes, ranging from McAffrey's relations with Collins' wife, McAffrey's view of Frye's position as a blogger, and Collins' handling of a slew of public embarrassments. Each character was complex, and well defined; often times it was possible to both be fond of and to distain the traits of each character, because all personality features were well explained.
Mixed in with such thoughtful script writing were a large number of heart-pumping episodes. Scenes bringing together ex-military officers, journalists, political puppets, and politicians offered a heavy dosage of suspense, which brilliantly complimented the issue-oriented plot.
Despite the thrills and the social reflection provided by the script, it would be possible to leave theaters dissatisfied. One cause for such an opinion is the conclusion, which leaves many questions unanswered following a somewhat anti-climatic ending.
This flaw, although somewhat
striking, does not diminish the value this cinematic work possesses. While addressing prevalent social issues, the film also satisfies through its impressive character development and its ability to maintain suspense throughout. This characteristic of State of Play is what separates itself from many thrillers.
Throughout the well thought-out screen play, the characters find themselves confronted with many issues in the fields of reporting ethics, marital relationships, print media business, political morals, and privatization of military.
The plot was packed with character developing scenes, ranging from McAffrey's relations with Collins' wife, McAffrey's view of Frye's position as a blogger, and Collins' handling of a slew of public embarrassments. Each character was complex, and well defined; often times it was possible to both be fond of and to distain the traits of each character, because all personality features were well explained.
Mixed in with such thoughtful script writing were a large number of heart-pumping episodes. Scenes bringing together ex-military officers, journalists, political puppets, and politicians offered a heavy dosage of suspense, which brilliantly complimented the issue-oriented plot.
Despite the thrills and the social reflection provided by the script, it would be possible to leave theaters dissatisfied. One cause for such an opinion is the conclusion, which leaves many questions unanswered following a somewhat anti-climatic ending.
This flaw, although somewhat
striking, does not diminish the value this cinematic work possesses. While addressing prevalent social issues, the film also satisfies through its impressive character development and its ability to maintain suspense throughout. This characteristic of State of Play is what separates itself from many thrillers.
Be the first to comment on this story