The Conspirator (2010)

First, kudos to the "new" American Film Company.  This film is their debut of an ambitious mission to make films depicting American history.  Robert Redford directs a dream cast with pleasing results.  To date they have made back less than half of their $25M investment, which is sad, but I pledge to see and rate every movie they make.

James McAvoy and Robin Wright do a great job.  The story is really about them but the rest of the cast are spot on.  Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, and Colm Meaney play the government's men is this compelling story.  the rest are too numerous to mention.  Suffice it to say that as period works go, this is one of my new favorites.  Savannah, GA looks a lot the an old DC - clearly.

With one little exception, the film feels as authentic as can be.  In one scene however, a character is coming out of a bathroom and the sounds of a flushing toilet is heard.  I don't know when flushing toilets were common in Washington, DC or what they sounded like, but I'm pretty sure some liberties were taken here.

This movie is mostly dialogue and wondering what will happen next, so don't set your sights on an action thriller.  What would you do to preserve a fragile nation?

Watch this movie with someone who likes American history.

State of Play

While some similarities exist, not much other than the character names and the title are carried over from the brilliant BBC series to this very smart movie. You don't need to have seen the series to enjoy this movie. In fact, you may enjoy it more if you are not distracted by the differences.

In the extra features a producer makes the statement to the effect that everyone in Hollywood wanted to be part of this project. And there are huge names aplenty to be sure. Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck turn in very different roles than their norm, and both are great. Helen Mirren continues to be one of the best actors from any country. Robin Wright Penn and Rachel McAdams are both very strong and sexy characters here. Jason Bateman does his best acting to date and was a very pleasant surprise for me.

Set in DC this political murder thriller is good a keeping the audience guessing. The pace is brisk and one has to keep up with plot twists as they happen.

Watch this with someone who like to guess who did what to whom and watch them react at the end when all is revealed.