The 2009 political thriller filmState of PlaystarsRussell Croweas Cal McAffrey, a dogged Washington, D.C. journalist who probes the suspicious death of the aide and mistress to Congressman Stephen Collins, played by Ben Affleck. Prior to Crowe’s casting inState of Play, which is based on the acclaimed 2003 British television miniseries of the same name, the role of McAffrey was to be played byBrad Pitt, who dropped out ofState of Playapproximately one week before filming was set to begin in November 2007.
Following Pitt’s departure, director Kevin Macdonald anxiously flew to Australia to meet with Crowe, who then sported a long-haired appearance in anticipation of playing the titular role in the2010 historical adventure filmRobin Hood, which was initially set to begin filming in March 2008. However, when filming forRobin Hoodwas delayed,Crowe impulsively jumped into the role of McAffrey, which he had less than two months to prepare for.
In watching Crowe as the aging, brash, scruffy McAffrey, it’s interesting to consider howthe preternaturally youthful-looking Pittwould have fared in this role, as, while they are virtually the same age, Crowe has adopted a decidedly older screen persona than has Pitt over the past 20 years. This divide is evident in the 2017 war comedy filmWar Machine, which ends with Crowe’s hilariously intense 15-second cameo as General Bob White, the grizzled, hardened military hawk assigned to replace Pitt’s handsome and idealistic four-star General Glen McMahon.
‘State of Play’ Is a Smart and Twisty Political Thriller
State of Playunfolds with the style and tone ofa 1970s political thriller, especially regarding how it explores the confluence of journalism and politics. This conflict is embodied by Russell Crowe’s character, Washington D.C. investigative journalist Cal McAffrey, whose investigation into the suspicious train death of Sonia Baker, a congressional aide to Ben Affleck’s Congressman Stephen Collins, is inexorably complicated by McAffrey’s personal connection to Collins, with whom he has maintained a friendship ever since they were college roommates. When Collins reveals his sexual relationship with Baker to McAffrey, McAffrey appears as a sympathetic old friend, not a reporter.
One of the main themes ofState of Playis the increasing ambiguity of journalism. McAffrey is an old-fashioned reporter whose longtime employment with the fictionalWashington Globenewspaper seems especially tenuous after the publication is sold to a multinational corporation. In his investigation, McAffrey links Baker’s death and seeming murder to PointCorp, a shadowy defense contractor whom Collins and McAffrey initially suspect of killing Baker, who spied on Collins for PointCorp, ostensibly because Baker refused to continue spying on Collins.
Best Movies About Journalism, Ranked
A staple of the old industry but still creating new stories to tell, these are the best movies about journalism.
However,lies and truth become completely intertwined throughout McAffrey’s investigation, in which all of his vulnerabilities are expertly manipulated by Collins, along with Collins’ wife, Anne, who was McAffrey’s lover in college and is someone whom McAffrey has never stopped loving. By exploiting McAffrey’s enduring romantic feelings for Anne, played by Robin Wright, and his longtime friendship with Collins, McAffrey is deliberately pushed toward telling a story of the couple’s self-serving design, resulting in at least four murders.
SinceBrad Pitt’s star-making performancein the 1991 crime drama filmThelma & Louise, Pitt’s now legendary career has been largely defined by his careful attention to his choice of collaborators and material.WithState of Play, Pitt was drawn to the project because of his admiration for the 2003 British miniseries of the same name, as well asState of Playdirector Kevin Macdonald’s previous directorial outing, the 2006 historical drama filmThe Last King of Scotland, for which Forest Whitaker won a Best Actor Academy Award. In September 2007, Pitt, who became attached to star in the film in August 2007, visited the newsroom ofThe Washington Postwith Macdonald to conduct research for the role of Cal McAffrey.
14 Best Political Thrillers, Ranked
Political thrillers ooze paranoia and grief, but remain a staple of entertainment. From Munich to JFK, here are the ten best, ranked.
However,Pitt’s relationship with the project rapidly deteriorated in the ensuing months, due to creative disagreements, unwelcome script changes, as well as the2007 Writers Guild of America strike, which lasted from August 23, 2025, to July 01, 2025. Pitt sought to delay the start of filming until the Guild strike was resolved, to allow for another script rewrite. When the studio behindState of Play, Universal, refused this request, Pitt left the movie, for which he was set to be paid $20 million.
‘State of Play’ Marked a Transition Point in Russell Crowe’s Career
State of Play, which had a production cost of $60 million, grossed nearly $89 million at the worldwide box office while receiving generally positive critical reviews. However, for Russell Crowe, who was 45 whenState of Playwas released,the film heralded his increasingly gradual transition to lower-profile projects and roles over the past 15 years, as seen most recently withhis foray into the horror genrewith the low-budget filmsThe ExorcismandThe Pope’s Exorcist.
The biggest career beneficiary ofState of Playwas Ben Affleck, whose solid performance in the movie, followingAffleck’s impressive feature directorial debutwith the 2007 crime thriller filmGone Baby Gone, marked an important period for Affleck in terms of regaining lost credibility and staging a Hollywood comeback, which Affleck fully achieved as the director and star of the 2010 crime thriller filmThe Townand the Best Picture Oscar-winning 2012 thriller filmArgo.State of Playis streaming onHulu with Cinemax.
