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State Of Play

****

Stars: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 127 minutes

Thriller/crime/drama

A taut political thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end, State Of Play is one of the finest conspiracy dramas of the last decade.

A petty thief is gunned down in an alley, while a young woman dies under a subway train.

The deaths appear unrelated - except to investigative reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).

The young woman is Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer) an assistant of Congressman Stephen Collins - Cal's old college roommate - who is heading a committee hearing into defence spending and a private firm who are winning numerous big money contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cal soon uncovers not only a link between their deaths but a multi-billion dollar corporate conspiracy to privatize U.S. security - and his quest to expose the truth soon puts his own life in danger.

State Of Play has you gripped from the beginning, opening with an unexplained and unsettling assassination before a second death just minutes later.

The slick screenplay's writers boast credits such as Michael Clayton, Duplicity and the Bourne trilogy and this has a similar, all-consuming atmosphere of paranoia.

Russell Crowe gives his finest performance in years as Cal, a late thirty-something, seasoned hack who isn't afraid to dig deep for a great story.

Sadly, Affleck is miscast and it's hard to believe the youthful looking, clean-cut Collins would be in the same college year as flabby, long-haired Cal, let alone his best friend.

But this flaw can be chalked up to him being a last minute replacement for Edward Norton.

The supporting cast also shine, particularly Jason Bateman as a smug PR man and Helen Mirren as Cal's tough but fair editor.

Rachel McAdam also delivers a solid turn as a rookie reporter who helps Cal dig for the truth.

Aside from delving into the murky world of politics and concerns about military tactics in the Middle East, State Of Play also offers a commentary on the threat of traditional print journalism from digital media.

McAdam plays a blogger more interested in quickly repeating gossip than spending time digging for the truth.

In this multi-media age, people want news every minute of every day.

But Cal is determined not to churn out sleaze and chases the real story - even if it threatens his life.

As he does so, we go along for the ride - and it's a hell of a journey I recommend you take.

Watch if you liked: Michael Clayton, The Manchurian Candidate.

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