Meet Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer), a research assistant for Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck). On her way to work Sonia meets a fatal demise while waiting for the morning subway. Her death rocks Collins department especially the politician himself. Once the press sees his sorrowful reaction to the announcement the tigers pounce on rumors that Stephen and Sonia were more than co-workers.

Stephen has nowhere to turn except his old college buddy Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe). Cal happens to be a prominent reporter for the Washington Globe so while Cal tries to help his friend he also can’t resist using the congressman for his investigation. Cal will walk a thin line between friendship and duty. With the help of a young blogger named Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) Cal will follow all sorts of leads to find out who was behind Sonia’s “accident” and some of those sources could cost Cal his life.

I am not a political thriller fan. I had no aspirations or huge desire to see State of Play. Based on the trailer I figured I would be in Nytol mode before the first act ended. I was also really hesitant to see an American adaptation of a British mini series. A six part telecast shrunk down into two hours did not sound like a good idea. But I forced my friend to accompany me to Hannah Montana: The Movie so it was his turn to choose and I was honor bound to join him. I purchased my small Pepsi (if you call a medium cup “small”) and headed into the theater.

I didn’t fall asleep. Barely touched the soft drink. I got so wrapped up in the story I mentally kicked myself for almost passing on this intricate plot full of all the twists and turns and double plays that political mysteries are made of. State of Play has so many characters and plot points to explore and that variety made for a stimulating theater experience (though some might experience a slight headache).

Cal starts working on his own, at first, and then ends up partnering with Della. It’s your classic old school meets new school scenario. Cal tries to teach Della the finer points of journalism and Della adds his wisdom to her memory banks. But it’s a rocky road since both Cal thinks Della is a hot shot and Della thinks Cal should retire.

Meanwhile, Washington Globe editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) is at her wits end trying to stall for Cal’s big scoop while keeping her corporate bosses at bay. One of the earlier scenes shows a media conglomerate's logo being tacked under the Washington Globe office sign. Poor Editor Lynne constantly has to struggle between delivering hard hitting news and making the bottom line. Another sign of the changing times when news media is more focused on making money with trashy headlines instead of informing people on what’s really happening in their communities and government.

One of the key suspects of Sonia’s murder is the private security / militia group PointCorp. Sonia was helping Stephen gather “dirt” on PointCorp’s shady activities. I’m guessing PointCorp was loosely based on real security company Blackwater Worldwide. It really is unnerving that there are real agencies like PointCorp running rampant around the globe.  

Robin Wright Penn stars as Stephen’s wife, Anne. It really baffled me how Stephen could cheat on someone as gorgeous as Mrs. Collins but he did. Don’t expect Anne to just flop around crying her eyes out. Her presence adds some additional heat to the fire especially when it comes to her special friendship with Cal.

Other notable performances include Viola Davis as a city coroner that reluctantly helps Cal in his search for clues and Harry Lennix as a detective on the case that has some awkward clashes with the grizzled reporter. I’ve never seen Jeff Daniels as a villain so his turn as the suspiciously sinister George Fergus really jolted me. Oh but wait until Jason Bateman hits the screen. As the slimy and smarmy public relations agent, Dominic Foy, Bateman provided a bowlful of comic relief that helped to break up some of the tension as evidenced by the laughter from the audience. He’s just rolling into one fine supporting performance after another.

A quick nod towards Michael Berresse who has a pivotal role in the film. A lot of you might not be familiar with Berresse’s work but Broadway fans will certainly recognize this popular hoofer. You won’t believe what he’s gonna do in this flick but I can assure you he will not be tap dancing.

State of Play is not for the faint of brain. This is one of those movies you gotta follow like a dog on the prowl for a juicy steak. Friend can become foe in the blink of an eye. But, hey, that’s just life on The Hill, right?