Purely Joyful Movie!

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

A skillful mix of politics and investigative journalism in contemporary Britain, with lots of acting talent on display, "State of Play" is an absorbing and compulsive watch , even spread over 6 hour-long episodes.It starts with a violent murder and attempted murder and soon links up with the earlier apparent suicide of an attractive young female researcher on the team of rising politician David Morrissey whose brief is energy. Freelance journalist John Simms, coincidentally the former campaign manager of Morrissey, gets involved and with a small team of journalists of a national daily newspaper, gradually puts all the pieces together before uncovering the final shocking truth about the death of the young researcher.Although there are plot holes and unlikely coincidences (for instance, of all the people Morrissey's deceived wife turns to in her moment of crisis, she chooses her husband's mate Simm), but with strong individual characters, strong, forward-moving plot and everyday realism it keeps you watching and watching. I would say myself that the ensemble acting probably elevated the story slightly above its station, besides Morrissey and Simm, both very good, there are scene-stealing performances by an emergent James McAvoy as a ruthless young reporter and Bill Nighy as the cynical, world weary editor but who nevertheless sticks his neck out for his team once he realises how juicy the blossoming story is, even if I was never fully convinced that the latter two are father and son.There are also some equally memorable supporting parts too, especially the unfortunate informant Dominic who gets completely screwed over by the team, used up and thrown aside once his usefulness to them ends, the team's young, gay transcriber/recordist, the vengeful but ultimately loyal wife Anne and on the political side, Morrissey's scheming spin doctor and cabinet-level mentor, all very much in the mix. I could however have done without the occasional focus on Morrissey's relationship with his fifteen-going-on-thirty- five, teenage boozer son and found the "grown-up" conversations between father and son not ringing true.Even watched today, over ten years after its initial production, this terse, tense mini-series still feels up-to-date, even if the esteem in which we used to hold the press has been damaged more than somewhat in the meantime.

Although far superior to virtually all t.v. productions, it still subs speed for character development, themes, and a more fuller and less fast-moving unfolding of the story. There is an obvious attempt to replicate the newsroom hustle-bustle of a newspaper, but this effort sacrifices depth for a heavy amount of superficial handling of important themes. Also, for me, the effort to lionize the news media is a non-starter. Sure, there are some negatives about reporting and the press room, but the editor is far too soft and mushy. I understand Michael Kitchen was offered the role of editor, but declined. Imagine him playing the editor-NOT tall, blonde and handsome. Gritty depiction of reality is also impeded by the very average acting of Stephen Collins, a key role. I found his wife too beautiful for the part, but that's a personal, somewhat subjective opinion. The lead role of Cal is handled effectively, and Kelly Macdonald is a big plus for the film. All in all, this is entertaining and somewhat thought-provoking.

The BBC seem to know how to make good drama. Everything I've seen from the BBC has been excellent. I bought the DVD a few days ago never seen the series before and loved it. David morrissy (Basic Instict 2) was superb in his role as an mp and Bill Nighy (Notes on a scandal) as the boss of the newspaper i thought that was one of his best roles I've seen him in. James McAvoy (Last king of Scotland) was really good in this as well. The BBC seem to be the only people that know how to make political drama's properly. There is a remake of the series being made by the yanks which will star Brad Pitt and Edward Norton which i think is a disgrace that it is being made which will come out in 2008 for those who wish to see more of this type of story.

I missed this on original transmission (what was I doing in 2003?) but had heard so much about it from Life on Mars fans that I finally got round to buying it on DVD recently. Oh how wished I'd seen it before now.Its tight, fast paced, beautifully directed and filmed. All of the primary and supporting cast are excellent but special credit must go to the ever outstanding John Simm plus Kelly MacDonald and David Morrisey. The thought of Brad Pitt playing John's role in the Hollywood remake makes me laugh and cry in equal measure and not in a healthy way!! What's particularly brilliant is all the characters are three dimensional and believable. As has been said no cocky maverick reporters, no kick-ass post feminist female reporter with a chip on her shoulder. Just a group of professionals who find themselves through Cal's personal connections on the biggest story of their lives. Credit for that lies in excellent writing from Paul Abbot.The story starts and concludes on the apparent suicide of the personal assistant of the Chairman of The Energy Select Commitee, Stephen Collins (Morrisey), whom it transpires were having an affair.By accident and due to an unrelated story his friend and leading Herald reporter Cal (Simm) discovers evidence that her death may not have been suicide. From there the story snowballs until the highest reaches of the Government are implicated in a series of griping twists each one leaving you slightly more stunned than the last.Some people have said the concluding episode is a let-down but I must disagree. It actually makes a great deal of sense in the context of the story because the one thing they can't find in the whole story is that clue that leads to her murder. None of the key players in the conspiracy are able to shed light on it.The revelation as to how she actually died is extremely well played. Its dropped in casually and its not until you realise what has disturbed Cal so much, that it dawns on you that casual drunken outburst is the biggest twist of them all.Its this revelation that makes the ending so powerful because it isn't happy. Cal has published the greatest story of his life, but its the one he least expected or dared imagine could be true in his worst nightmare. State of Play is ultimately a story of betrayal.State of Play would be worth watching just for the ever brilliant John Simm (Brad, you'll need to give the best performance of your life to be half as good), the fact its six of the best hours of television I've seen just sweetens the deal. Watch it, Buy it. SEE IT.