State of Play (film)

State of Play
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kevin Macdonald
Screenplay by	Matthew Michael Carnahan Tony Gilroy Billy Ray
Based on	State of Play by Paul Abbott
Produced by	Andrew Hauptman Tim Bevan Eric Fellner
Starring	Russell Crowe Ben Affleck Rachel McAdams Robin Wright Penn Jason Bateman Jeff Daniels Helen Mirren
Cinematography	Rodrigo Prieto
Edited by	Justine Wright
Music by	Alex Heffes
Production companies	Working Title Films StudioCanal Relativity Media Andell Entertainment
Distributed by	Universal Pictures (International) StudioCanal (France)[1]
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
Language	English
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.