Writer: Mohd Johan Arif

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Effects: NA
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Watch this if you liked: "All The President's Men", "The Sentinel"

Russell Crowe at his best never fails to entertain. We see his outstanding acting ability in this political thriller, forming a coalition with another A-list actor, Ben Affleck and veteran Jeff Daniels. "State Of Play" is a movie that uncovers the mystery behind political powers utterly different from the rest of its kind.

A petty thief is gunned down in an alley and a Congressman's assistant falls in front of a subway - two seemingly unrelated deaths. Enter wise-cracking brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey who sees a conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. With a turbulent past connected to the Congressman and the aid of ambitious young rookie writer Della Frye, Cal begins uprooting clues that lead him to a corporate cover-up full of insiders, informants, and assassins. But as he draws closer to the truth, the relentless journalist must decide if it's worth risking his life and selling his soul to get the ultimate story.

At first look, especially at the trailer, "State Of Play" might seem like just another crime drama where a victim is killed and a few people become suspects. But if you look at the trailer closely, you will see something very different with "State Of Play" - the killer's face is shown. The question is: who is he? What connection does he have with the other characters in the movie?

"State of Play" can be described with one word: details! details! details! There is so much detail in this movie particularly regarding evidence that connect to each other, keeping you tucked in your seat. You won't want to leave, even for a short toilet break because you know will miss an important part of the movie. However, the movie seems to move from one clue to another reasonably fast and it takes more brainwork while you sit to actually figure out what is currently being peeled out in the story momentarily.

Most of the main cast in this film did a very good job playing out their role. Rachel McAdams was surprisingly able to depart heavily from resembling her high school bimbo character in the 2004 teen blockbuster "Mean Girls", supporting Russell Crowe strongly throughout the movie. Ben Affleck however, does not seem like he is in character very much because he may have thought being a congressman just means acting a little more stiffly than he usual does. For those of you who loved the 1976 political thriller about ex-US President Richard Nixon, "All The President's Men", this is one of those political dramas that would get you going.

Cinema Online, 10 June 2009