State of Play

State of Play has quietly become one of the more dependable crime dramas currently available. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 2,168 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Watch Russell Crowe work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

There is a reason State of Play keeps coming up in conversation. The plotting in State of Play is tight enough that the twists feel earned rather than assembled. When a congressional aide is killed, a Washington, D.C. Journalist starts investigating the case involving the Representative, his old college friend. Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2009. What distinguishes the best crime dramas from the rest is whether the character work can carry scenes where the mystery takes a breath — State of Play passes that test consistently. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find State of Play proves them wrong. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Watch Russell Crowe work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.