Play this Friday

Nothing is off the record in State of Play, the new political thriller from Kevin MacDonald, director of the brilliant The Last King of Scotland. Russell Crowe stars as a gritty, smart mouthed reporter writing about two seemingly unrelated deaths. But as his investigation deepens, Crowe believes he has uncovered deadly conspiracy of assassins and informants connected to his friend, a U.S. senator played by Ben Affleck. Written by The Bourne Ultimatum scribe and Michael Clayton director Tony Gilroy, State of Play breathes new life into the rarest of all thrillers, the journalism thriller. Aziz Ansari and Anna Faris co-star. Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels, Helen Mirren, and Robin Wright Penn co-star. Rated PG-13. (Photo courtesy Universal Pictures)