Last we heard about “State Of Play,” the Washington D.C., political thriller/journo expose, reports had surfaced that the two leads, Russell Crowe (the journalist) and Ben Affleck (the political figure) didn’t really gel on the set. Since the characters were supposed to be best friends, some had wondered how this would effect the film.
Frankly, by the look of the trailer they have bigger issues, number one being: why does this look like a typical Hollywood political intrigue flick? Surely, they’re modeling it after things like, “All The Presidents Men” or “The Parallex View,” but it looks way cheaper and something more like, “Vantage Point” and lame Jack Ryan films like “Clear and Present Danger.” We suppose it could be ok, but the trailer is very paint by numbers (the film also stars Rachel McAdams as Crowe’s junior journo partner and Helen Mirren as his editor).
Also, add this to the long list of trailers jacking Darren Aronofsky’s music collaborator, Clint Mansell. This trailer appropriates, “Dead Reckoning” from “The Fountain,” “Smokin’ Aces” near the end. Directed by Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland”), the film opens April 17, 2009.