State of Play (2009)

Cast: Katy Mixon, Rachel McAdams, Russell Crowe

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Genre: thriller, drama, crime

So I gave this movie a 10, but that's coming from a thriller fan. With
most thrillers, this movie has it's faults. Some exaggeration,
implausibilities, annoying twists, but the film transcends other
thrillers on all other levels. Even with the overly dramatic plot and
scenarios, I felt this film was a very realistic portrayal of
journalism and posed an interesting argument between old fashioned
print journalism and the new age of the internet. Of course, for the
"thrills" they'll have to make some cliché twists, but it goes beyond
the generic nonsense thriller to making a mild statement about the
media today. In addition, the cast was fantastic. I couldn't be more
relieved that Russell Crowe took over Brad Pitt's role, Pitt would have
been a terrible choice. Russell was a much better fit for Cal. However,
I kind of wish Edward Norton remained with the role of Senator
Collins… Affleck and Crowe didn't have the greatest chemistry.
However the many supporting players were fantastic. Rachel McAdams did
a fine job. Not exactly the meatiest role but she played the revised
role of Della as a young popular blogger greatly. Rachel brought that
playful naivety but at the same time made Della intelligent and
respectable. Helen Mirren was perfect, and perhaps a little underused.
There is also a plethora of strong performances from the minor
supporting players. Jason Bateman gave my favorite performance out of
all of them, Harry Lennix was another who was underutilized, and Robin
Wright Penn continues her reputation as one of the most consistent
supporting actress…

Trailer State of Play