Is State of Play based on a true story? Here's what you need to know about the real-life inspirations for the 2009 movie starring Russell Crowe.
WARNING: Spoilers for State of Play.
Is State of Play based on a true story? The 2009 movie stars Russell Crowe as a Washington D.C. journalist who investigates the private life of an American politician, and how it connects to a government conspiracy. State of Play was indeed inspired by real-life politics, but the story itself is a fictional homage to past classics. The film was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, and Billy Ray.
In State of Play, Washington Globe journalist Cal McAffrey (Crowe) looks into the alleged suicide of a woman, Sonia Baker - an employee of the U.S. government who had an affair with McAffrey's college roommate, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck). When online blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) uncovers suspicious details about the case, she's enlisted to investigate further. The two Washington Globe journalists learn that a company called PointCorp wants to privatize U.S. security and hired Baker to spy on Collins, who led an inquiry about PointCorp's connection to international mercenary operations. State of Play reveals that Collins hired a former war buddy, Robert Bingham (Michael Berresse), to investigate Baker, however, the man's fragile state of mind and loyalty to Collins results in several murders. McAffrey finishes his Washington Globe report and gives Frye the lead byline.
State of Play isn't based on a real-life case but rather a 2003 British TV series of the same name. Created by Paul Abbott and directed by David Yates, the six-episode BBC One show follows a reporter for The Herald who investigates the death of a 15-year-old boy and his connection to the accidental death of a young woman. Kevin Macdonald's 2009 Hollywood adaptation keeps the same premise and even the same character names: Cal McCaffrey, Stephen Collins, Sonia Baker. In the original 2003 series, Kelly Macdonald c0-stars as Cal's fellow journalist, Della Smith, whose name was changed to Della Frye for the 2009 film adaptation.
According to Kevin Macdonald (via Première), State of Play's mood and tone was inspired by films of the '70s. Specifically, he cites Alan J. Pakula's 1976 classic All the President's Men as a primary influence. Both films focus on two Washington D.C. journalists, and both feature two protagonists with differing personalities who develop a tight bond. The difference, however, is that All the President's Men is based on Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's eponymous 1974 book about their investigation of the Watergate scandal. In State of Play, Crowe and McAdams' characters work for a fictional publication, the Washington Globe. Macdonald's 2009 film could be categorized as a "paranoid thriller," which thematically aligns it with '70s classics like Chinatown, The Conversation, and Pakula's 1974 film The Parallax View.
In a 2009 interview (via The Guardian), Macdonald points out that he wanted to update the BBC series because it "wasn't set in any recognizably real journalistic world." For State of Play - a May 2021 Netflix addition - the director received advice from The Washington Post and states that the aforementioned Abbott will "proudly" acknowledge that he didn't do any research with British journalists, even though the main characters of his 2003 TV show are indeed just that, including Bill Nighy as Cameron Foster. Macdonald's film ends with an homage to the newspaper industry, which is somewhat of a character in itself throughout State of Play, as noted by the director:
"I thought the crisis in newspapers was something to be explored; I love All the President's Men and, in fact, all films about journalism. I thought we could make the last film about newspapers before they die."
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