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April 23, 2009 -- A dying newspaper struggling to sell its product, a new ownership group more interested in short term profits than good journalism and a political scandal in Washington D.C. are the setting for this tense political drama. The story is as much about the survival of journalism as it is about the investigation into the murder of a Congressional staffer. While the drama surrounding the murder is not especially gripping, the drama on the journalism side of the story is palpable.
Russell Crowe of “American Gangster” stars as veteran reporter Cal McAffrey on the staff of a large metropolitan daily in Washington D.C. They say it isn't the Washington Post, but it really is. Cal investigates the murder of a couple of guys in an alley. One is a small time crook, but the other is a businessman caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Strangely, connections appear between these two murders and the apparently accidental death of Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) an aide to Congressman Stephen Collins (played by Ben Affleck of “Smokin' Aces”). It is apparent that the pretty young aide was having an affair with Collins, who just happens to be an old friend of Cal's and whose wife, Anne (Robin Wright Penn of “White Oleander”) had an affair with Cal. How's that for coincidence? Cal's boss, Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren of “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”) is practically foaming at the mouth wanting to play up the sleazy sex scandal aspect of the story, but Cal thinks there is a lot bigger story lurking underneath the sex.
Representative Collins is currently investigating some crooked dealings between the federal government and a powerful security services company called PointCorp. Cal thinks maybe PointCorp had Sonia Baker killed because she was the lead investigator into the company for Collins. PointCorp stands to lose billions in government contracts if the hearings go badly. In the film's most intense scene, Cal finds himself hunted by a gunman in an underground parking garage. Various people involved into Cal's investigation into Sonia Baker's death start winding up dead. Cal finds himself in trouble with the Washington D.C. Police Department for interfering with a murder investigation. Cal remains focused on a possible conspiracy, while another newspaper scoops him on yet another sex scandal involving Collins. The pressure is increasing on Cal from all sides.Another key figure in the story is a young blogger, Della Frye (Rachel McAdams of “Red Eye”) who is working on the story with Cal. At first, Cal thinks Della is a know-nothing cub reporter, but he later comes to respect her journalistic skills. Of course the final version of the story comes right down to the deadline (actually well past the deadline), but Cal and Della get their big scoop and their big story. The story neatly sidesteps the question of whether or not the newspaper would have killed the story if its corporate interests were threatened. That idea is more scary than anything else in the movie. This film rates a B.
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