State Of Play BBC Miniseries

Posted In: Edge Of Darkness

Janella Loukas says...

State of Play (Miniseries)

Outstanding story, great cast and superb direction!The cast includes some of the best British actors of current day.A great story that, for once, doesn't talk down to the audience.If you appreciate a good suspense film try this one.Everyone I have shown this to loves it.I can't imagine how this can be shortened into a feature length movie, at least the film is using the original writer.Here's to hoping that there will be a second season of this series.

Posted on July 3, 2011

Winter Betterley says...

A couple of years ago, while reviewing "The Queen," I wistfully semi-wished for a West Wing-type TV series set in the world of British politics.Turns out such a series already existed, the BBC's 2003 series, "State of Play," released at last on region one DVD.



Stephen Collins (David Morrissey) is a rising young hotshot Member of Parliament and chairman of the ostensibly independent Energy Select Committee.On the same morning that his beautiful young research assistant Sonia dies under mysterious circumstances in a subway station, a teenage bag-snatcher is shot to death on the other side of London.While investigating the teenage boy's death, newspaper reporters Cal McCaffrey (John Simm) and Della Smith (Kelly McDonald) realize that the youngster made a phone call to Sonia the morning they both died.Further controversy arises when it's revealed Collins was romantically involved with his assistant.There's another wrinkle: McCaffrey once managed the Collins election campaign; in the wake of scandal, the embattled MP and his estranged wife Anne (Polly Walker) both turn to the conflicted McCaffrey for shelter and sympathy.



From there, the drama gets increasingly complicated and messy; I won't give too much away (and have probably given away too much already).The further Della, Cal, and their fellow journalists dig into the two deaths, the more scandal and conspiracy they uncover.Part of the drama is political, part of it is personal, and all of it is riveting.The script (six hour-long episodes) by Paul Abbott is taut and intelligent, allowing plenty of space for both plot and character, with a perfect balance of drama, humor, intrigue, and romance.There's some nicely crunchy stuff in there about the dangerous mix of politics and big business and the importance of a free press, but those elements never overwhelm the narrative.The suspense is spooled out perfectly over the six hours, and some of the action sequences are strongly reminiscent of the three Bourne movies.Once you start watching this series, it's *very* hard to stop.



The cast is large, and there's any number of sub-plots, but the writing and directing (David Yates) are so skillful and the characters so distinctive that it's no problem to keep track of everything.Paying close attention to detail is a must; some clues are dropped in with diabolical subtlety.The denouement and resolution hit all the right notes: the protagonists' ultimate victory comes at a huge personal cost.The closing shot in particular is just aces.



With such strong material, the cast has to be at the top of their game, and it's a testament to the quality of this series that there's not one weak performance in the lot.Morrissey achieves just the right mix of unlikeable and sympathetic, playing a man who seems to have willfully screwed up his life; Walker is particularly sharp as his wounded, angry wife.The team of journalists has terrific rapport and camaraderie, an intelligent, warm, likeable bunch, led by their acerbic editor, Cameron Foster (Bill Nighy, simply brilliant).Foster's scenes facing off against the local DCI (Philip Glenister) are especially fun.Marc Warren has a great turn as an unsavory witness/ suspect in the two deaths; James McAvoy does strong work as a freelance reporter with something to prove.There are dozens of excellent performances among the third and fourth tier players, and even the one-shot walk-on characters are cast with admirable care.



Special praise is due to John Simm for his outstanding work as Cal McCaffrey.Cal is the heart of the story, its most sympathetic character, the guy viewers will instinctively root for--even when he does something incredibly stupid, it's impossible not to like him, to want things to work out for him.Simm gives the character all sorts of tics and quirks and layers; he plays beautifully off the other actors (Cal's final confrontation with Stephen is just devastating); he's a presence even when he's not doing anything in particular.It's just a wonderful, wonderful performance, a standout even in this uniformly stellar cast.



For icing on the cake, there's some eye-catching visuals, and the soundtrack has an edgy, urban vibe.If the multitude of accents and Brit-slang proves too much, one can flip on the handy subtitles.Disappointingly, the DVD set is very thin on extra features; I would have loved to see some interviews with the cast and crew.Viewers with kids in the house should be aware that "State of Play" is definitely R-rated, with moderate amounts of sex, violence, and swearing, as well as characters who drink and smoke almost nonstop.



The DVD set was released in advance of a big-budget Hollywood adaptation that's due to hit cinemas next year.With Helen Mirren and Russell Crowe in the cast, it might not be bad, but I'd nevertheless recommend giving the original a spin before checking out the re-make.

Posted on July 3, 2011

Jeanna Signaigo says...

This is an outstanding BBC Mini-Series that aired in 2003. A British politicians assistant is found dead on the subway (underground). Is this a random incident or is there more to the story. Complex, with great dialog and a taut script. Well acted. I saw this when it aired and have been waiting for the DVD. This is TV as it should be.

Posted on July 4, 2011

Thu Plover says...

"State of Play" is a wonderful political thriller that crosses a group of newspaper reporters, members of Parliament and the police. It is directed in six one-hour parts by David Yates who directed the most recent Harry Potter films.



"State of Play" has a superb cast including many familiar faces: Bill Nighy, James McAvoy and Kelly Macdonald (Carla Jean from "No Country for Old Men" with a very different accent), and Polly Walker (Atia from ROME) among others.



There's to be an all-star Americanized movie version of "State of Play" in 2009 staring Russell Crow, Ben Affleck, Helen Miren and Jeff Daniels directed by Kevin Macdonald ("Last King of Scotland"). That may end up being good, but condensing this story down to a two-hour movie will be challenging and will certainly require leaving a lot of the characters behind. Plus it will require extricating the story from its compelling backdrop that is the inner-workings of the British press and government, and that's one of the more fascinating aspects of the mini-series.

Posted on July 5, 2011

Andrea Malusky says...

"The more compelling moments of the series come not in the various subplots surround the mystery in front of us--although it is a great mystery indeed--but in how indoctrinate and incestuous the interplay between politics, media, and industry are in the modern information age. All three stand at cross-purposes, yet secretly acknowledge that none can succeed without careful consideration of the other two. Vital communication often runs deep underneath the observed interactions between the groups, taking place in back-room meetings and clandestine e-mails, and through veiled threats." Judge Arsenault



Having just come off the viewing of 10 weeks of the critically acclaimed HBO's TV show 'The Wire', I needed a pick me up, and wowser did I find one. This BBC 6 show series that aired in 2004 has it all and it is an even toss up with me as to which show is best, 'The Wire' or 'State of Play'. In both series the acting is superb. Bill Nighy as the wry, buttoned down, full of himself editor of the Herald hits the mark every time and won the UK's Best Actor award.Polly Walker known to most of us from HBO's 'Rome' is the politician's wife and is flawless. David Morrissey, as the politician, John Simm and Kelly Macdonald as the intrepid reporters for the Herald mark this cast as fully realized.



The shotgun murder of a drug-related killing, and the apparent accidental death of Sonia Baker, a researcher for Member of Parliament Stephen Collins seems unrelated. The one difference is the makings of a scandal when the news of Sonia's death hits the streets. Stephen Collins the Parliament member who employed Sonia is visibly shocked and upset when her death is announced.The editor of the Herald suspects some hanky-panky and sends two of his best investigative reporters out to look the matter over. Cal McCaffrey and Della Smith find that these two deaths are not only related but were linked to the oil industry and the British government. One scandal after another is uncovered and this minor story soon leaps to the largest story of the year.



The story of corruption and mayhem and lies and deceit are all realistic. The fact that the media, government and industry could all be in collusion seems all too true to those of us in the US looking at the war in Iraq and what has been wrought. What we don't count on is that once we think we have everything figured out, a new twist occurs. Some of this is a little over the top, but the superb acting counters any fallacy.



'State Of Play' shines on the media, in this case, the newspaper, the Herald. Financial success is intertwined with the government, and it is not easy to convince the CEO and the board that publishing the story is the right thing to do. Everyone in this series is touched in some manner by the final decisions and actions that take place. The action, the suspense, the writing, the cinematography are all as one to produce one of the best BBC series I have viewed.Helen Mirren and Russell Crowe are at this moment filming a movie version of this series. We have the best here, how could they ever top this series?



Highly, Highly Recommended. prisrob 03-13-08



The Girl in the Cafe



8 1/2 Women

Posted on July 6, 2011

Maisha Hollyfield says...

The best of British acting talent, a relentless script, brilliant direction, furious pacing, and all the elements come together with no loose story ends.It can be watched numerous times and yield new treasures on each occasion.

Posted on July 7, 2011

Cherryl Boluda says...

Excellent. "State of Play," is without question one of the best written television thriller, adult-oriented (and I don't mean sexual content) I've ever seen. (And it's certainly in the running for the top honors.) I haven't been this satisfied by a political suspense thriller since I saw "The Lives of Others" (Germany, 2006 - winner of the Oscar for Best Foriegn Language film, 2006). Yes, "State of Play" is that good!

Posted on July 7, 2011

Joesph Tahon says...

I caught most of this series on BBC America, but the Tevo missed the last episode and I've been waiting with baited breath for the commercial release in the US.This is so well scripted and acted, it is as good at television gets these days (this and The Wire).I'd definitely suggest seeing the BBC original over what I imagine will be a mediocre Hollywood adaptation that should be out in late 2008.

Posted on July 8, 2011

Carie Datt says...

It is shows like this that make cable or satellite TV worth the extra expense from over the air broadcast.



There was a time the US made decent mini-series, but as the public airwaves became less for the public and more for the broadcasters' profit margins, the downhill spiral of quality began, and now we are the land of such high brow programing asAre You Smarter Than a Third Grader? Or watching people prostitute themselves for their 15 minutes of fame by appearing on shows like The Apprentice, or Survivor.



Our cable and day time TV, even worse, Dr. Phil? Please, give me the chance to be on TV and I'll let you rip me apart emotionally. But if one surfs long enough, you can find outstanding shows.



The Brits don't do long dragged out series, the original Office, six episodes per season, two seasons.MI-5, six episodes per season and we are up to six seasons. Wire In The Blood, Silent Witness, six episodes per season and still going strong.Life on Mars which sadly the writers only allowed two seasons of 6 episodes each, concluded this year. All fine shows, made without the being lowered to lowest common denominator.



State Of Play is not only in the same class as those shows referenced above, but in fact may surpass. Others have set out the plot line, and intrigue so I won't revisit or reveal more.



However, I strongly suggest purchasing and viewing this excellent mini-series because as with anything of any quality, American producers have grabbed a hold of this and are going to turn it into a movie. And not like the Lord of the Rings kind of movie where all of the plots and subplots play out over three movies. No, they are going to take 350 minutes of high drama, political intrigue, and the presses inability to provide objective coverage without undue influence, and if we are lucky, we will receive 120 minutes, or approximately 1/3 of the story.



Save yourself the trouble of paying for a cheap knockoff, and watch the real thing. Turn off those "reality" shows, tell Dr. Phil that pop psychology as entertainment is not only unethical, but pathetic, not just on the part of the shows' guests, but on the host himself.



BBC may only be able to keep producing quality shows if their viewer ship extends beyond their advertising free public airwaves.Yep, advertising free, like PBS used to be.



I've seen this on BBCA but out of my loyalty for quality TV, I'm buying not one set, but two. One for me, one for someone as a gift.

Posted on July 11, 2011

Mitch Wordlow says...

This riveting mini-series from the BBC is television drama of the highest order.We watched it over a period of six weeks on PBS.On the seventh Sunday, we were bereft.Its brilliance is undeniable.



The cast is incredible - John Simm (Life on Mars), David Morrissey (later to attempt self-immolation of his career in Basic Instinct 2 (Unrated, Extended Cut)), Bill Nighy (Still Crazy and countless other classic, untouchable pieces of droll excellence), Polly Walker (Rome - The Complete First Season) and Kelly Macdonald (No Country for Old Men)...oh yeah, and a smaller role by one James McAvoy, since gone very large in little things like, oh, The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition) and Atonement (Widescreen Edition).He gets pumped up here with middle of the cover box treatment, but his role is smaller.



The excellence of the production hangs on the intersection of journalist Cal McCaffrey, as portrayed by Simm, and MP Stephen Collins, as portrayed here by Morrissey.To complicate issues between the two, Collins' winning campaign for MP was managed by McCaffrey, and there's the not small matter of Cal's less-than-subtle pining for Collins' wife (Walker).



Over 500 IMDB reviewers have weighed in with an average review of 8.8 (on a 10 scale), pretty much a chart-blower by that discriminating audience(The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption are 9.1).

Posted on July 11, 2011