8.5/10 [Highly Recommended]
Looking for an exciting drama/thriller/crime with twists and curve balls?
Plot:
A thriller set in London, in which a politician's life becomes increasingly complex as his research assistant is found dead on the London Underground and, in a seemingly unrelated incident, a teenage pickpocket is shot dead.
State of Play mini-series is probably one of the best mini-drama series I've seen. It was so successful that a movie (by the same name) was made starring Russel Crowe and Ben Affleck. If you're debating to either watch the movie or the series, I would advise you to spend the extra bit of time with the original British series over the film. Here's why:
Even with Crowe and Affleck, the film did not have the same effect as the cast in the series. John Simm and David Morrissey was a better match as Cal and Colin. With guest stars James McAvoy and Bill Nighy, this series does stand apart from its successor.
The 6 episodes mini allotted more time to develop the stories and characters better than the film. When the story is really rich with many characters interwoven, like State of Play a 2 plus hour film just doesn't do it justice.
The only difficulty I found was the heavy accented dialogue, but I did not mind rewatching bits throughout.
I highly recommend this series. It is smart, sophisticated and really explores journalism and politics. I encourage everyone to open up their minds and give this series a spin. Until you've seen it, I will not talk further about the ending or my thoughts on the 'curve ball'.
