truth first

Benjamin 2022-04-21 09:01:53

When I saw the title, I thought it was an old-fashioned typical beautiful movie, but I got interested because of its news theme, and it was an excellent movie that I almost missed because of the title.
Within 10 minutes of the film’s progress, I guessed what the ratings on DB would be like. It’s not a big case, nor is it a bizarre story; although it involves national security, it’s just an understatement of the background. Although it’s dangerous, nothing happens In the fight, there were very few shells that landed. Audiences who want to watch action movies, spy movies, police and bandit movies, etc., will probably be disappointed. This is a solid drama.
Kevin Macdonald's grasp of the rhythm of the plot in this film is remarkable. The structure of the whole film is quite satisfactory, and the plot progresses steadily step by step. The complicated cases and clues are also scattered. Although the rhythm is not vigorous, every The details play an important role in the understanding of the whole event. The film does not have an obvious climax, but reveals the truth little by little like a cocoon, pushing the atmosphere of the film to a climax step by step, but it has always been indifferent, provoking the curiosity of the audience. Suddenly I thought that the final result was somewhat the same as "Angels & Demons", and "Angels & Demons", which is also a drama suspense film, also failed to win the audience's favor. However, as long as you closely follow the rhythm of the film, you will be unable to extricate yourself into it.
The tone of the film is relatively dark, which may echo the core of the director's intention to reflect, and may sometimes be the choice of reason and emotion. Recalling that "Nothing But the Truth" is about the reporter's choice between the truth and human feelings, it is more about human nature, while "State of Play" is more of a suspense film. Nevertheless, "State of Play" still leaves people with questions and thought-provoking.
Although the traditional newspaper industry is inevitably going downhill due to the impact of emerging media, what guidelines should news reports follow, how to balance between morality and truth, and how to choose between reason and emotion? The greatest value of news is its authenticity, and in order to pursue circulation and grab the first headlines, should morals be put aside, or should the truth be pursued to the end? And in the same way, what kind of status should the news be in, and how much freedom it should have. If the news and the media are always limited by various objective factors, who speaks for whom, distorts the facts, or deviates from the right path just for self-interest, then there will never be real news.
Another element of news is timeliness and timeliness. In the film, Cal is under pressure all the time. He could have published the information in his hand to obtain absolute exclusivity, but he did not do that. Check it out. On the contrary, the director also showed us the process of Della becoming mature in this event. Yes, journalism requires more than efficiency, otherwise journalists like Cal would never have a foothold.
When the plot develops to the end, just when the audience thinks everything is clear, it is Cal's professionalism that realizes that something is wrong, and it is not the real mastermind who can escape. If "Nothing But the Truth" is about human nature, then "State of Play" is about professional ethics. This is real news, presenting the truth exactly to the reader or audience.
The film finally uses the production and printing of the newspaper to the distribution process as the end, so that the content of the film slowly settles, implying that the truth has been revealed and made known to the world. This is the victory of truth.
Five stars.

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Extended Reading

State of Play quotes

  • Rep. Stephen Collins: Am I talking to my friend now or am I talking to a reporter?

    Cal McAffrey: I gotta be both.

  • Della Frye: [referring to Foy] And why do you think he's gonna talk?

    Hank: Because he's scared.

    Della Frye: How do you know?

    Cal McAffrey: Because I'm gonna scare him.