Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Nice effects though.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Who doesn't like Affleck and Crowe? Right there is a good reason to go see this movie. The fact that it is a political thriller makes it even more appealing. I knew nothing about it being based on a previous 6 part series of some sort. I went into it as a movie holding up its own. It did. These type of movies move along at a decent pace, allow the viewer to join in and provide a story-telling while unraveling the adventure and the mystery at the same time. This is entertainment. There are minor flaws but if one steps back to appreciate a couple of hours of watching they will love to....

State of Play is like I said, an intelligent well made, thought provoking thriller that keeps you wanting more and on the edge of your seat. Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams do a wonderful job as the lead actors here, they manage to hold their own, and have good authentic looking chemistry between one another. Helen Mirren, one of my all time favorite people, gives a strong powerful performance as a supporting character. And of course Ben Affleck Briggs his all, like he usually does in his films, he was strong and heated in his performance, which was absolutely needed in every respect. And last but not least Robin Wright Penn was convincing in her role just like her fellow co-stars were. The plot summary is intriguing and interesting in many different ways. The plot certainly does keep you engaged and it makes you think, this film does NOT do all the thinking for you, it forces you to engage, which I love and respect in a movie. The action is not high octane or tense, and to be honest there is not a lot of action in the film, but that's okay, it didn't call for or need big ol' action sequences, it was a lot more of a tense thriller and figuring out who done what. The dialogue here is well written and smart, overall this movie is a great time and shows the inevitable talent of the entire cast and crew that worked on it. 10/10

Ah yes, another liberal nightmare fantasy flick, this time about the threat of a private defense contractor - and if anyone thinks the "PointCorps" of the flick is not supposed to be Blackwater, please seek treatment for terminal naivete - who is secretly seeking to take control of American society. Of course, how this is supposed to happen when defense budgets are getting slashed to the bone under liberal governance is a mystery. If you want a real nightmare scenario, someone should make a flick about how the kudzu-like tentacles of the federal bureaucracy in the form of the IRS, the EPA, the FDA, the FTC, the Education Department, HHS, HUD and the whole alphabet soup of unelected bureaucrats is insinuating itself into every aspect of our lives. But considering the moonbat crowd that runs Hollywood, I'm not holding my breath. Considered purely as an action/mystery flick this isn't bad as pure entertainment, but the political overtones are offputting.

The base premise is just one notch above any average scandal and conspiracy story. But I must admit the later twists are great. The look like they are downplays but they are not. The characters are not so deeply developed, though. And the focus is not so deep on the rest of the characters beside Cal and Stephen. I personally like the stable fast pace of how the mystery unfolded.Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck did a great job here, while McAdams provided just enough for her character. Helen Mirren was able to give this movie some added toughness, even from a not so significant character, which is nice. A 7 out of 10 is solid from me.