Verurteilt – Jeder hat etwas zu verbergen (2018)

Verurteilt – Jeder hat etwas zu verbergen: Directed by Gonzalo Tobal. With Lali Espósito, Emilio Vodanovich, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Inés Estévez. A young student is the only one accused of the brutal murder of her best friend, a case that is excessively reported by the media. Cornered by the evidence, she must face her own doubts about what really happened.

“A gruff old-school reporter (Russell Crowe playing his A-game) becomes personally entangled in a breaking news story surrounding his old college buddy turned congressman (Ben Affleck, not as bad as you would think) and a young female aid who died under mysterious circumstances in the surprisingly plausible political thriller u0026quot;State of Playu0026quot; from director Kevin MacDonald who was previously responsible for u0026quot;The Last King of Scotlandu0026quot;. Though designed as a throw-back to paranoid investigative thrillers from the 1970u0026#39;s, relevance is gained when the massive cover-up revealed becomes a vehicle for the filmmakers to explore the death of print news at the hand of digital mediums.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe twisty and engaging screenplay is credited to three scribes: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray. But itu0026#39;s Gilroyu0026#39;s fingerprints that shape the story with all the overlapping dialogue and conspiracy talk that will remind many of his u0026quot;Michael Claytonu0026quot;. Adapted from a sprawling BBC miniseries created by Paul Abbott, the trio is especially deft in their condensing of the story into a fully digestible two hours. Even as new characters and twists keep coming, the audience is never left out in the cold. They also give the cast plenty to chew on with some great throw-away lines amidst all the posturing between the cops, reporters, politicians and sleaze-bags.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThough itu0026#39;s Crowe and Helen Mirren as his sparring and quick-witted boss who shine the most, this is essentially an ensemble piece, and itu0026#39;s especially clever when Jason Bateman arrives on screen for a few pivotal scenes as a smug public relations guru whou0026#39;s too dumb to realize he knows too much. The cast also includes Robin Wright Penn as Afflecku0026#39;s wife, Jeff Daniels as the arrogant majority whip and Harry Lennix, who as a D.C. detective makes a compelling case here for the lead role in the Barack Obama Story. The only miscalculation in the casting is poor Rachel McAdams, lovely but annoying in her high-pitch as Croweu0026#39;s blogging tag-along looking to kick it old-school and get something in print.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBy the third act u0026quot;State of Playu0026quot; overplays its hand in its attempts to be timely with too much talk of the privatization of the military, Capitol Hill sex scandals and traditional newspapers losing out in the digital age to bloggers more concerned with gossip than real journalism. It couldu0026#39;ve also been more subtle in its preaching about the importance of serious investigative reporting. It should be commended, however, for an otherwise smart screenplay that doesnu0026#39;t spell out all its twists and turns too early and the well polished cast who give the film a slick sheen. Even though it might be reporting on yesterdayu0026#39;s news, u0026quot;State of Playu0026quot; still makes for solid rainy day entertainment and is worthy of blogging about.”