This six-part BBC miniseries begins with two seemingly unrelated deaths—the slaying of a petty criminal and the suicide of a young researcher employed by a Member of Parliament—and then slowly pieces together the links between them. The result is a taut political conspiracy thriller that casts the raucous British press as heroes while they dig for possible scandal behind the deaths. Paul Abbott's subtle writing offers genuine emotion without piling up cheap thrills or implausible twists, but the core of this 2003 miniseries belongs to a pair of remarkable performances: David Morrissey, as the anguished parliamentarian in a professional and personal freefall, and John Simm, as his tenacious former campaign manager, now an investigative reporter tracking the increasingly astonishing story. Giving away too much of the plot would ruin the genuine surprises that percolate throughout, though it is fair to state that James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland, Atonement) has a far more prominent role on the DVD's cover art than in the actual series (he plays the son of the newspaper editor conducting the journalistic investigation). Hopefully, viewers will discover State of Play before the truncated and Americanized feature film remake starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe arrives in theaters next year. DVD extras include audio commentaries on two episodes. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (P. Hall)
State of Play
BBC, 2 discs, 350 min., not rated, DVD: $34.98 Volume 23, Issue 3
State of Play
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: