State of Play

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, the film received generally positive reviews. Plot In Washington, D.C., fleeing thief Deshaun Stagg is shot dead by a man carrying a metal briefcase. A passing witness is also shot and left in a coma. The next morning, Congressional aide Sonia Baker is killed by a Washington Metro train. Reporter Cal McAffrey of the Washington Globe newspaper investigates the shootings while his junior colleague Della Frye probes Baker's death.