State of Play (2009)

Since I wrote a post on the 2003 version, here's my post for the 2009:
As I wrote in my post for the 2003 BBC TV production of this tale, it is a well-done, intense political thriller...that is a must see. This one is about 4 hours shorter than the British TV production, but it is just as taut and gripping as the first...maybe even better since it does that same job in a feature film length. Keeping most of the story in tact, this version has a congressman caught in a sex scandal with a murdered young researcher from his office. The congressman's former roommate is a reporter who is on the story and trying his best to keep both his loyalties to his congressman friend and his newspaper job. Like All the President's Men, this film really takes you inside the inner workings of a Washington D.C.'s newspaper office...keeping the nightmare pace and the cutthroat-ness in tact. I'm sure the newspaper biz is hectic and frantic in most of the country, but add in the turmoil of political and you get a hellish frenzy. Excellent performances by all make this movie a fabulous political and journalistic thriller. Watch both versions and compare for yourself!