State of Play (film)

State of Play
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKevin Macdonald
Screenplay by
Based onState of Play
by Paul Abbott
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRodrigo Prieto
Edited byJustine Wright
Music byAlex Heffes
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • April 17, 2009 (2009-04-17) (United States)
  • April 22, 2009 (2009-04-22) (United Kingdom)
Running time
127 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million[2]
Box office$88.8 million[3]

State of Play is a 2009 political thriller film directed by Kevin Macdonald. It is based on the 2003 British television serial of the same name. The film tells of a journalist's (Russell Crowe) probe into the suspicious death of the assistant and mistress of a Congressman (Ben Affleck). The supporting cast includes Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, Robin Wright, and Jeff Daniels.

Macdonald said that State of Play is influenced by the films of the 1970s. He explores the privatization of American Homeland Security and, to a minor extent, journalistic independence, along with the relationship between politicians and the press. Released in North America on April 17, 2009, by Universal Pictures, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $88 million worldwide.

  1. ^ State of Play at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ Jennings, Marc (February 2009). "20 to watch in 2009". Empire. emap. p. 75.
  3. ^ "State of Play (2009) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 6, 2018.