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A US Congressman’s mistress is murdered and he calls upon a reporter friend to help solve the case in the new thriller, State of Play.  Ben Affleck stars as the politician (who I fully expect to be ultimately guilty for the woman’s death) and Russell Crowe plays the intrepid reporter who champions the freedom of the press over personal hygiene and stylish haircuts.  State of Play also stars Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, and the criminally underused Robin Wright Penn.

[flv:http://media.filmschoolrejects.com/trailers/state-of-play-trailer.flv 598 254]

State of Play is based on a popular BBC miniseries from 2003.  The Hollywood version is co-written by Tony Gilroy, of the similar looking Michael Clayton, and directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland).

For fun, having already watched the trailer, watch it again… but this time imagine Brad Pitt as the reporter and Ed Norton as the Congressman.  They were originally cast in the roles but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.  It would have been their first onscreen reunion after Fight Club.

State of Play hits theaters April 17, 2009. You can check out the trailer in high definition over at Yahoo Movies.

What do you think of the trailer?  More importantly, how about Crowe’s hair?