Russell Crowe Gives Good Head(line)

Here is the gag line – “Russell Crowe gives good head(line).”

After sitting through the forgettable ‘Angels and Demons’, I was beginning to think that Hollywood had lost the art of story telling; ‘State of Play” reminded me that when Hollywood gets it right, they get it right brilliantly. This is a movie for adults; ‘State of Play’ directed by Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland), starring Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind), Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting), Rachel McAdams (The Notebook), Helen Mirren (Gosford Park) and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) has enough talent both on screen and off to guarantee that you that you are in for a treat.

Without giving away all of the tricks; it’s set in Washington, Cal McAffrey (Crowe) a hard drinking, hard assed, old school newspaper reporter teams up with a young blogger/reporter Della Frye (McAdams), to investigate the death of one of Congressman Collins’, (Affleck), aides. The seemingly unrelated death of a bag snatcher proves that there is more going on here than just a random act of violence. Collins was having an affair and making some very powerful people extremely nervous. That’s just the start; throw in Homeland Security, mercenaries, corruption and conspiracy and you have the makings of a really good yarn with enough twists, turns and last minute surprises to keep you guessing right through to the end credits, and stay for the credits they are worth seeing. Director MacDonald, who also made ‘One Day in September’, keeps the movie ticking along and just when you think you have it worked out you realise that … well see the movie.

Whether you like him or loathe him Crowe delivers, he never just phones in a performance. From ‘The Insider’ to ‘The Gladiator’, he commits. Sometimes it becomes hard to tell where the character ends and Crowe begins. He really is one of the great talents of the last fifteen years and I’m not even a fan.

Ben Affleck, who seems to have had a hit and miss approach to acting since ‘Good Will Hunting’ and has made some pretty forgettable movies between then and now, dare I mention ‘Gigli’. His Congressman Collins, decorated war hero and all around good guy, is one of those roles that fit Mr. Affleck like a well tailored suit.

Rachel McAdams is terrific as the blogger/reporter with aspirations that is mentored by Crowe.

The most surprising performance for me in this film was Jason Bateman, (Dominic Foy), who has a ball as a narcissistic, pill popping sexually gregarious PR consultant.

There is a message in this movie that quietly gnaws away at you as you are taken up by the events on screen. We are becoming so used to people like me, bloggers, people who write without too much research and spew forth opinion as if it is fact. What place does real reporting have in a society of Facebook journalism, a society where Wikipedia is the first and sometimes the last reference tool used. As newspapers begin to close and on-line sites begin to prosper what hope is there for the ‘old fashioned’ investigative journalist of day’s gone bye?

‘State of Play’ is running in wide release at a cinema near you – do yourself a favour go see it.