State of Play (2009)

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Cast: Russell Crowe as Cal McAffrey, Ben Affleck as Rep. Stephen Collins, Rachel McAdams as Della Frye, Helen Mirren as Cameron Lynne, Robin Wright as Anne Collins (as Robin Wright Penn), Jason Bateman as Dominic Foy, Jeff Daniels as Rep. George Fergus, Michael Berresse as Robert Bingham, Harry Lennix as Det. Donald Bell, Josh Mostel as Pete, Michael Weston as Hank, Barry Shabaka Henley as Gene Stavitz, Viola Davis as Dr. Judith Franklin, David Harbour as PointCorp Insider, Sarah Lord as Mandi Brokaw

So I gave this movie a 10, but that's coming from a thriller fan. With
most thrillers, this movie has it's faults. Some exaggeration,
implausibilities, annoying twists, but the film transcends other
thrillers on all other levels. Even with the overly dramatic plot and
scenarios, I felt this film was a very realistic portrayal of
journalism and posed an interesting argument between old fashioned
print journalism and the new age of the internet. Of course, for the
"thrills" they'll have to make some cliché twists, but it goes beyond
the generic nonsense thriller to making a mild statement about the
media today. In addition, the cast was fantastic. I couldn't be more
relieved that Russell Crowe took over Brad Pitt's role, Pitt would have
been a terrible choice. Russell was a much better fit for Cal. However,
I kind of wish Edward Norton remained with the role of Senator
Collins... Affleck and Crowe didn't have the greatest chemistry.
However the many supporting players were fantastic. Rachel McAdams did
a fine job. Not exactly the meatiest role but she played the revised
role of Della as a young popular blogger greatly. Rachel brought that
playful naivety but at the same time made Della intelligent and
respectable. Helen Mirren was perfect, and perhaps a little underused.
There is also a plethora of strong performances from the minor
supporting players. Jason Bateman gave my favorite performance out of
all of them, Harry Lennix was another who was underutilized, and Robin
Wright Penn continues her reputation as one of the most consistent
supporting actresses.

But as a thriller, it really was a fantastic and entertaining movie.
I've never seen the BBC series and could only imagine how much better
it could be with more time to develop characters and stories, but the
film does the best it could and that's enough. It isn't your typical
mindless thriller though, which is what I respect about it most. It is
paced well but if you don't pay attention you may get lost, but seeing
as the film really does keep you on your toes, it shouldn't be that
hard. What makes this thriller so much better though is that it makes
you think, even after leaving the theater. It isn't just some formulaic
story with mindless twists and turns, it's actually saying something
about the world today that is very relevant, which not only makes a
great thriller, but a great film as well.

I've read some complaints about the ending, but I don't understand what
the big deal was. I don't want to give anything away, but I think it's
an ending that could be taken in different ways depending on the
viewer.